A GYMNASTICS club made homeless by the COVID-19 pandemic is seeking planning consent to use a building on a former nursery site in the green belt at Thelwall.
Bridgewater Gymnastics Club was formed in 2009 by gymnastics coaches who ran before and after school classes in the Warrington area and also provided PE classes at a number of schools.
In the past, the club has operated from a number of venues, including Lymm Youth Club, Lymm Leisure Centre, Stockton Heath Scout Centre and Broomfields Leisure Centre, Appleton. It has a membership of about 80.
But it has been made homeless by the pandemic and is unlikely to be able to return to any of its previous homes because of a shortage of storage space for equipment.
Now it is seeking temporary planning consent for three years to use a building formerly used as a carpet showroom at the former Caddicks Clematis Nursery in Lymm Road, Thelwall
In its application to Warrington Borough Council, the club says it is difficult to justify a gymnastics club on a green belt site. But they hope the club’s present difficulties, plus the fact they are seeking permission for only three years, might be acceptable to give them time to find a more permanent home.
The former nursery site has a chequored planning history involving its proposed use as an airport parking site for up to 700 vehicles – a plan which was fiercely opposed by nearby residents and councillors.
