A 24-HOUR gym is set to fill one of the vacant units at the Bournemouth council-owned retail park in Mallard Road.

The unit became empty following the closure of BHS in July 2016. Part of the building was then filled by supermarket Aldi when it opened the following year. However, part of the unit between Aldi and Poundland has remained vacant.

The council has recently submitted a planning application to make minor alterations to the unit in preparation for a PureGym. The chain was established in 2009 and has 230 sites throughout the UK, including a gym in Tower Park, Poole and Avenue Road, Bournemouth. In its planning application, the council states the gym would employ around 15 staff members, including up to ten personal trainers.

“Internally Unit 4B has been stripped out following the closure of the former tenant. At the time of writing the unit has been closed to the public for some years having previously been part of the BHS store, which closed as part of company-wide trading issues,” the council says in its planning statement.

“The currently vacant unit will be occupied by PureGym with a full cover mezzanine. Minor external alterations are proposed consisting of new entrance doors but there are no other alterations to the unit or the estate in general.

“The 24-hour use of the gym will not have any adverse impacts on neighbouring properties. The nearest noise-sensitive properties are located some 120 metres distance away across Mallard Road. There are therefore no residential properties in close proximity to the site that would be adversely affected by the 24-hour operation of the gym.”

The council adds that existing car parking arrangements are “sufficient to meet parking requirements associated with the proposed gym use”.

There is one other vacant unit at Mallard Road Retail Park, formerly occupied by home store Jysk. It is not yet known who will be leasing the store.

As revealed in the Daily Echo last month, rent from the new leases at the two units would bring the total income from the retail park to £2.2m. According to a leaked confidential report to the council’s cabinet, the financial troubles of Homebase and Carpetright has reduced the council’s rent from the site to £1.5m.