Plans submitted for new gym at business park

The Gym Group currently operates in Kent towns including Strood, Gillingham and Ashford

Plans have been submitted for a new 24-hour gym in a disused unit at a retail park in Kent.

The Gym Group has submitted a planning application to take over a building at Kingstanding Business Park in Tunbridge Wells.

"The unit is currently vacant and was formally occupied as a retail unit by a carpet store," the fitness firm writes in planning documents.

A total of 15 full-time jobs are set to be created at the new fitness centre.

The company said it "aims to increase access to health and fitness activities to a wider demographic to encourage and improve health and wellbeing by providing a low-cost option".

Kent towns including Strood, Gillingham and Ashford already have their own Gym Group venues and there are more than 240 in the UK.

Councillor Victoria Jones, who represents the area on Tunbridge Wells Borough Council, said: "As the business park takes shape over the next year or so, having a centre for fitness and wellbeing right on its doorstep and accessible to residents in Knights' Park is a positive development."

A retail park has been on site for decades but has undergone expansion in recent years, according to Local Democracy Reporting Service.