Concern as LA Fitness to become a Pure Gym

The pool at LA Fitness in Horsell

LA Fitness has run a leisure club at the junction of Arthur's Bridge Road and Horsell Moor since 2001.  Having got through a planning application with low membership numbers they managed to increase the number of members allowed, first to 3500 then to 5000 back in 2006.

Residents of Arthur's Bridge Road and Abbey Road in particular have suffered from overflow parking from LA Fitness and disturbances in the evening as members arrive and leave the club.

Pure Gym takeover

In May of this year Pure Gym took over LA Fitness.  This business deal was referred to the Competition Commission who gave it the go ahead a few weeks ago. The Horsell branch is now to be converted to the Pure Gym format. The pool  is closing and I understand there will be changes to the classes offered. LA Fitness will close between 5 and 21 October for refurbishment then open as a Pure Gym. There is a notice about this on the LA Fitness website.

Pure Gym has a different operating model to LA Fitness. Rather than a contract customers pay on a monthly basis and the facilities are very much gyms rather than leisure clubs, with a lot of machines available.

Concerns

The key concerns for local residents are on any increase in the disturbance they suffer already, particularly as there is older people's sheltered housing just across the road from the facility.

• A Financial Times article suggests Pure Gym aim to increase membership by 60% so could we be looking at an application to increase membership from 5000 to 8000? What impact would that have on local roads?

• Will Pure Gym apply for 24 hour opening? This raises concerns about disturbances through the night and in the early morning and possible security worries if the extended hours leads to groups hanging around outside.