By Cam Lucadou-Wells
A Dandenong gym has been given approval by Greater Dandenong Council to expand into Noble Park, despite several neighbours’ objections.
F45 gym is permitted to set up next to a place-of-worship and a vacant retail space at a commercial strip at 405A Princes Highway.
It will adjoin a residential area at the rear.
Councillor Zaynoun Melham said the “two entrepreneurial young guys” behind the gym were creating local employment and healthy activity.
The gym, which also operates in Walker Street Dandenong, had already signed up 100 members in Noble Park, he said.
Cr Sean O’Reilly said the gym would tightly control visitor numbers with a pre-booking system and 15-minute gaps between sessions.
A maximum of 27 patrons and two staff are allowed on site at the one time.
“It’s not a gym you can just show up and they’ll have a whole plethora of parking issues,” Cr O’Reilly said.
The council had received three objections from a nearby business, a resident and the owner of a vacant lot.
They were concerned about extra traffic and noise generated by the gym from 5.15am-8am and 5.30pm-7.15pm on weekdays.
In response to concerns, opening hours were restricted to 7am-noon only on weekends.
City planning director Jody Bosman told a council meeting on 24 June that a concern about the impact on the “letability” of a neighbour’s site was not a planning consideration.
A council report found the facility provided a “net benefit” to the wider region without “unacceptable” noise, traffic or congestion.
“The traffic impact assessment submitted with the application demonstrates and provides evidence that parking spaces available on the Princes Highway service road and wider road network is sufficient to cater for the use.”
