Planning committee backs gym move

Members of West Lindsey District Council’s Planning Committee unanimously supported a gym’s move into a premises at Brigg Road last night (Wednesday, March 7, 2018).

BFitLincs began operating from Caistor Top in October 2016, but there were planning issues with the site.

Owner Amy Atkins arranged to transfer to an empty premises in Brigg Road, Caistor, but planning officers had expressed concerns with the new location.

West Lindsey’s Planning Committee voted unanimously to allow the gym’s relocation to the Brigg Road premises after an appeal by Town Councillor Steve Critten on behalf of Caistor Town Council, and by gym owner Amy Atkins.

Cllr Critten set out a number of policies in the town’s Neighbourhood Plan, and why the town council felt that necessary planning criteria had been met.

Ms Atkins said that she had looked at nine other locations in Caistor besides Brigg Road but they were not suitable, and that there was a safe footpath leading all the way to the premises from the town’s centre.

The nearest gyms will be in Market Rasen, Brigg and Grimsby after another facility at Caistor Yarborough Academy closes in May, she added. Her gym has 840 members, the committee heard, with 80% coming from Caistor and surrounding villages.

Local people had written 180 letters, and 520 people had signed a petition, supporting the gym’s move. Five apprenticeships had been created at the gym since it opened, added Ms Atkins.

Cllr Roger Patterson congratulated residents of Caistor, the Town Council and Ms Atkins for working together. “The amount of support this has shown is indicative of Caistor’s community spirit,” he said. He added that it would encourage people from surrounding villages to come into Caistor and use its facilities, and that it would have been “a travesty” if the plans had not been passed.

The photograph is a screengrab from West Lindsey District Council’s website, showing Ms Atkins as she addressed last night’s committee.

4 Comments

  1. Katrina Weston

    Great news, common sense prevails for once. Our family will be joining the gym when it relocates, looking forward to it.

    Reply
  2. Amy Atkins

    Thanks Katrina and look forward to you and your family joining us.

    Reply
  3. Martin

    So pleased the Community as always backed what it believes is the right path.Amy is a credit to our community

    Reply
    1. Amy Atkins

      Thank you Martin that’s a lovely thing to say. The committee meeting was really brilliant, they commented on how the Town Council, the community and myself all came together to the approval 🙂

      Reply

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