Plans have been lodged to turn a further Penarth gym into a new retail space.
It's the third time an application has been submitted for the Moorwell site on Windsor Road with previous schemes having been refused.
The first attempt to open a shop was made by Majestic Wines and the second was by Project Three Developments Ltd.
The current applicant is Mr David Oakhill.
Both rejections read: “The proposal has not demonstrated that demand from the loss of the gym as a community facility would be acceptably satisfied within the area and that the facility has been marketed and proven to be no longer economically viable.”
The first elaborates: “Furthermore the loss of the gym would not preserve and enhance the contribution it has to the vitality, viability and attractiveness of Penarth as well as promoting sustainable communities and sustainable travel patterns.”
The new application by Mr Oakhill outlines that there would be “no significant retail impact’ on Penarth’s retail centre from allowing the proposal, subject to the restriction of “goods sold to just wine, beer and spirits”, that could be ensured by a “suitably worded condition”.
It also reads that the proposal would “most likely not result in greater impacts on neighbouring properties than the former operation of the gym”, given the hours of operation.
One of the points the application refuted was the use of the former gym as a community facility
It reads that the council previously “relied heavily on perceived community benefit and the level of public objection” rather than if the former use met the definition of a community facility.
According to the applicant, the council “crucially failed to recognise that the former gym was a “commercial, membership-only facility”.
As such, it did not operate on a pay-as-you go basis, nor offer unrestricted public access.
The council’s website has marked the target decision date for the application as Wednesday 25th March 2026.
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