Gym, cafe, and water-sports hire centre plans get the go-ahead

A gym and well-being café will be built near Pensarn Pleasure Beach, together with a water sports hire centre.

At a meeting at Bodlondeb, Conwy County Council’s planning committee granted Louis Jones permission to relocate his business, Pilgrim Fitness, from Pensarn Industrial Estate to the land in Abergele.

Mr Jones plans to move his gym’s demountable building to the new site between Sea Road and the railway.

The gym owner hopes to provide water sports equipment for hire as well as training and a new “well-being café”.

The tarmac site is currently heavily overgrown with brambles and weeds.

Nick Williams, owner of the Pantri Bach Café and The Beach Café, had expressed concerns to the council about pedestrians crossing a nearby road on a corner.

But speaking at the meeting, Conwy’s planning officer Ceri Thomas said concerns had been eased.

He said: “Welsh Water doesn’t have any objections in principle to the foul water drainage connection.

“The highway issue now appears to be satisfactorily resolved, so our recommendation is to grant conditional planning permission.”

Cllr Ifor Loyd proposed councillors backed the plans and Cllr Trystan Lewis seconded the proposal, and the vote was unanimous.

The gym will be situated near the centre of the plot of land, measuring 12.2m by 7.3m with a height of approximately 5m at the eaves and 5.6m at the ridge.

The café will be built on the gym’s northern side with external seating beneath a canopy, together with a roof terrace.

The plans include a smaller building used for water sports hire, a toilet, showers, and a septic tank.

By Richard Evans – Local Democracy Reporter