Battle over South Downs farm barn being used as a gym

Landowner Andy Allan has been told he must demolish the building because of a breach of planning regulations – but he is vowing to fight to keep it.

"There has been a bit of confusion over it,” he said.

Trouble arose after Horsham District Council refused to grant retrospective planning permission for the retention of the barn at Spring Gardens, Washington, for use as a gym and the storage of farm equipment back in June.

Now the council has issued an enforcement notice requiring the building to be demolished – but Andy has lodged an appeal against the ruling.

The council maintains that the building is being used purely as a commercial gym, rather than for the storage of agricultural equipment, and was built without planning permission.

But in a statement to the council, Phil Rowe, of PROwe Planning Solutions, acting for Andy Allan, said the building was not being used as a commercial gym.

He said Team GB athlete Nicole Allan and her partner Luke Taylor, a Team GB hockey player, were using the gym for personal training and small one-to-one training sessions with not more than four people using the gym at any one time.

"Both Nicole and Luke are passionate about what they do. Many of the attendees are unconfident and insecure and as such greatly value the personal aspects of the training offer.”

He said the building was erected during lockdown and was intended to be used as an agricultural barn.

But the onset of lockdown meant that Nicole and Luke were unable to continue with their training and the barn evolved to re-provide a personal gym facility.

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He said that, unlike a mainstream gym, people could not just turn up an use it. No annual membership was available.

Andy Allan said that a planning application had been submitted in 2020 for the barn and gym for a temporary period of two years.

"We haven’t intentionally put something in without planning permission,” said Andy. “It was the time of Covid hitting and there was a bit of confusion over it.

“It is going to appeal.”