Evening Telegraph (First Edition)
Gym doors stay shut
‘Ready to go’ fitness facility denied permission to open
A NEW gym on a Dundee i ndu st r i a l estate h a s been warned it could face e n force me nt act ion if it operates after having pla n n i ng pe r m ission refused for a third time.
SweatBox Dundee had filed for temporary permission to operate its gym from a new-build unit in Dunsinane Industrial Estate after having an earlier bid for a permanent permit rejected.
This has been refused by planning chiefs, who said that splashing out thousands of pounds on kitting out the venue before getting a permit was “not a material consideration in support of the proposals”.
Despite this the business, run by fitness fanatics Sam McCluskey and Sheli McCoy, claims it is able to trade “no problem”.
In a video posted on the SweatBox Dundee Facebook page a day after the application was rejected, Ms McCoy said: “We’re still within a process that just requires review from the Local Review Body and a signature from them.
“The good news is we’re eligible to open now. we can open now and trade this whole time no problems at all.”
However, Dundee City Council has warned that the gym could face enforcement action if it continues to operate without the appropriate permissions.
A spokeswoman said: “Operating without planning permission could lead to enforcement action.”
Failure to comply with enforcement action can lead to court orders – and even referral to the Procurator Fiscal for prosecution.
Sweatbox had been given permission for a unit a few yards away, but sought to move into the newer unit after calculating that fitting out the older building would be too expensive. Planners refused that application in August.
Mr McCluskey and Ms McCoy then failed to attend an appeal hearing in September which saw councillors uphold the original refusal – making this month’s rejection the third in a row.
SweatBox Dundee did not respond to a request for comment.