Plans approved for new fitness studios in Ballincollig 

A PLANNING application to develop fitness studios at CastleWest Shopping Centre in Ballincollig has been given the green light from Cork City Council.

In December Int Inv (I) Gp Limited lodged the application seeking permission for the change of use of a ground floor retail unit and first floor office unit, unit 25 and unit 25A, at the shopping centre to create fitness studios.

In documentation submitted with the application, it states that it is intended that the premises will be operated by MiFitness for “appointment only fitness classes”.

The premises are to operate seven days a week, with classes throughout the day.

The proposed opening hours are from 6:30am to 10pm Monday to Friday, from 7am to 4pm on Saturdays and from 10am to 2pm on Sundays.

In the documentation, it states that parking is “plentiful in the Ballincollig area” with both on-street parking and nearby shopping centre parking available.

“The small numbers entering the premises at the specific times indicated should create no parking issue or nuisance in the Ballincollig Main Street area,” the document continues.

It is also argued that construction waste for the change of use would be low due to the existing premises being already suitable in layout for the proposed use.

Cork City Council has now granted permission for the change of use, with eight conditions attached.

One condition states that in the interests of "providing vitality and passive surveillance to the surrounding street network", all glazing on the ground floor units must be maintained as fully transparent and shall not be tinted, covered over or made opaque in a manner that prevents visibility into the units.