Fitness Club announces closure

energie

Wilmslow Leisure Limited, operators of the energie Fitness Club at Summerfields Village, has today announced to club members their intention to permanently close the club.

Members have been given 30 days' notice that the club will close its doors for the last time on New Year's Eve.

A spokesperson for Wilmslow Leisure Limited said: "It is with great sadness that we have taken the decision to close energie Fitness Club in Wilmslow, after 12 years helping to change people's lives and making a positive difference to the local community.

"We are in the fortunate position that our sister site, energie Fitness, two miles away on Stanley Green, has just invested £400,000 in a major facility upgrade. Therefore we are working with them to assist our existing members who wish to switch their membership to this site. For those members who have paid annual subscriptions, we have agreed with our sister site that this period will be honoured. This will also include a "like for like" timetable relocation for studio classes.

Wilmslow Leisure Limited filed a Company Voluntary Arrangement which took effect in April 2017.

In June 2017 Lidl confirmed their plans to replace the existing store at Summerfields Village Centre with a new store on the adjacent land, currently occupied by the energi Fitness Club.

The discount retailer has agreed a deal to purchase the property, which is currently occupied by energi, from Emersons. If planning permission is approved the building will be demolished to build a new store which is nearly 50% bigger.

The Northern Planning Committee will determine Lidl's planning application, which the planning officer is recommending for approval, at their meeting on Wednesday, 6th December.

Tags:
Energie Fitness
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Comments

Here's what readers have had to say so far. Why not add your thoughts below.

Rick Andrews
Wednesday 29th November 2017 at 2:16 pm
Game Over - so sad that the residents were ignored.
DELETED ACCOUNT
Wednesday 29th November 2017 at 2:54 pm
This was a decision which has been a long time in the making between all the relevant parties.

So this area will have a giant Lidl, but

No post office
No bank or ATM
No medical centre
No Secondary School
No Leisure Centre
No Library
No dentists.

However, I'm sure that by the time Heathfields Farm is brought forward the planners will have changed the "Sustainability Criteria" - they are probably working with "interested parties" to do so now.
Mark Jackson
Wednesday 29th November 2017 at 3:41 pm
Well, that isn't exactly a surprise now is it, Emerson and Lidl not getting their way in favour of a few gym goers was never going to happen, shame as was a nice gym.
Clive Cooksey
Wednesday 29th November 2017 at 4:06 pm
Well surprise surprise. I would never have thought it~~Would you?
Suzanne Walford
Wednesday 29th November 2017 at 4:10 pm
Seems to me that this was the gym’s intention all along. A real shame.
David Woodcock
Wednesday 29th November 2017 at 4:15 pm
They have long since ruined Wilmslow. I don't really think that they can make much more of a mess whatever they do. There has been no soul in the place for a long time.
Steve 'Buck' Taylor
Wednesday 29th November 2017 at 4:25 pm
I remember when it opened in the 90's as Viva Fitness so sad but what do you expect in this day and age with supermarkets and their ever greedy ways, do we really need an extended Lidl I don't think so.
DELETED ACCOUNT
Wednesday 29th November 2017 at 4:29 pm
Clive - nothing surprises me about our planning department. Last day for submitting comments 6th November. 5 lots of revised plans after that date and then on the planning portal support comments all appear on pre - printed forms submitted 27th November ready for the planning meeting the following week.Seems to me that those who do follow the relevent procedures are actually penalised and disadvantaged by the planning department. Wouldn't mind so much if the Council planners were actually paid for by Developers and their mates rather than residents.

As for shopping in Lidl in future - their prices are rising whilst others are dropping. Will give them a miss since there is so much choice already in Wilmslow.
Michael Dean
Wednesday 29th November 2017 at 6:38 pm
Sad to see the gym go, have been a member since the Living Well days, a great asset to the local community lost. I'm not sure the gym has been totally transparent in the process but as others have said CEC planning seem to be working against the residents, not for them, (look at the overwhelming number of objections vs support), too weak to do anything valuable.
Lorraine Smith
Wednesday 29th November 2017 at 7:36 pm
East Cheshire continues to ignore residents' objections. I have not used LIDL since it decided to expand and demolish Energie, preferring to support our home-based UK supermarkets. Sadly this will make no difference but I can live without LIDL.
Laurie Atterbury
Wednesday 29th November 2017 at 7:54 pm
Just don’t get it. Whenever I’ve shopped in Lidl they’ve not once had all tills open; usually 50% yet they want to expand!
Peter Evans
Wednesday 29th November 2017 at 8:16 pm
Jackie - the only thing that would surprise me about our planners is that they do anything that the community wants. And, more cynically, I do sometimes wonder who pays who.

My other concern, and personally more important to me, is what will happen to Eden and the wonderful Noelle...
Sarah Wilkinson
Wednesday 29th November 2017 at 8:51 pm
Just to confirm that as a long standing member of Energie, Handforth (Summerfields, Handforth), I have been saddened to read that Energie is to close but I have NOT been informed, at any stage, of the proceedings. Thanks to Wilmslow.co.uk., I am now aware that I need to cancel my direct debit to Energie, within the next few hours.
Dina Robinson
Thursday 30th November 2017 at 8:18 am
I agree with Michael Dean, I don't think Energie have been totally transparent in the process. I attended a class yesterday morning and was given a letter addressed to members informing them of the closure.
In the hour that I was in the class the foyer was transformed into a recruitment centre for Energies other, newly refurbished gym, on Stanley Green. No good for me as it has no pool.
My, and I suspect, most people's monthly direct debit comes out 1st of the month so not much time to cancel it.
The timing is very suspicious, I wish now that I hadn't put up with the facilities such as the Jacuzzi frequently out of order and the cold showers.
Such a shame.
DELETED ACCOUNT
Thursday 30th November 2017 at 8:26 am
Sarah- not surprised. This information has come out now as an attempt to influence the Planning Committee next week. The issue remains the same though - is a small shopping area, designated a Neighbourhood Centre, the right place to have a large out of town supermarket. There are plenty of alternative uses this site could be put to. Hospital services are moving from Handforth to spread to Knutsford and Macclesfield. What better place to have a medical centre, screening facilities, xray department and visiting consultants with two areas of high medical need next to it?
DELETED ACCOUNT
Thursday 30th November 2017 at 8:32 am
Dina, - one is left wondering who holds the freehold of the site in Stanley Green?
Mark Goldsmith
Thursday 30th November 2017 at 2:44 pm
@Jackie: what makes you think the Council Planners are not paid for by developers?

The unanswered question is WHY are Council Planners consistently going out on a limb to support developers? They are supposed to be independent, so why are they contunually ignoring common sense in favour of developers?

This latest one said it is okay to lose a gym and swimming pool as there are others in the area. But it completely ignored the fact that we do not need a Lidl as there is already one 50ft away!

Also, Summerfields is now in the town centre and although the site is designated for recreation, this too can be ignored by our Planners.

It is bizarre logic that is highly suspicious. Given how rotten Cheshire East is in other areas, with countless staff under investigation, something is seriously wrong in Planning that should also be examined too.
Nick Jones
Thursday 30th November 2017 at 3:33 pm
@ Mark; All were missing now is T Dan Smith .. and the required prison sentences !
Alan Brown
Thursday 30th November 2017 at 4:04 pm
Truly very sad. Why did we bother with our many and mostly well-reasoned objections to the Lidl plans? I feel let down by the scheming that seems to have taken place behind the scenes at Energie. with the NEW option suddenly there. As said, this is gym only, operating for more than two years apparently, but under other owners and recently rebranded as Energie. The option given to present members is very reasonable indeed - but the gym itself hasn't the friendly (cosy?) atmosphere of the old place.
Keir Faulkner
Thursday 30th November 2017 at 4:29 pm
Where is the Community Infrastructure Levy, a planning charge, being spent?
Anne Greenhalgh
Friday 1st December 2017 at 1:00 am
No post office
No bank or ATM
No medical centre
No Secondary School
No Leisure Centre
No Library
No dentists

Jackie Pass shared this list but in this day & age of Post Office losses & most people having cars, it's never going to happen, years ago we walked or got the bus into Wilmslow. Tesco decided against an ATM! The removal of medical services at Handforth affects all of us, so they are hardly going to move it! Wilmslow has a Leisure Centre. Wilmslow & Handforth have a Library & there are dentists dotted all over the Wilmslow & Handforth so I don't know what Jackie is expecting to happen! As for the gym they obviously had a plan when Lidl approached them.
DELETED ACCOUNT
Friday 1st December 2017 at 10:49 am
Anne - these are the "Sustainability Criteria" used by Cheshire East to judge sites in the Local Plan. According to their own criteria sites have to have an acceptable amount of factors within a certain distance - they lay down the distances within the Local Plan. All of these things are beyond the distance criteria they use because they are designed to minimise the use of cars, and they recognise that all sectors of the community, regardless of age or infirmity, have to access services. This problem will be more acute given that buses are to be reduced on Dean Row Road, with a minimal service on a Saturday and none on a Sunday.

Still - not to worry. I'm sure that when Heathfield Farm is brought forward as a site the criteria will magically change.