New plan unveiled for former The Residence nightclub in Poulton- and its not a gym
and on Freeview 262 or Freely 565
Last week, a planning application was submitted to Wyre Council to turn 2 Vicarage Road, which has been home to various nightclubs over the past 30 years, into an office.
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Hide AdThese plans come as somewhat of a surprise as back in July 2023 a planning application was also submitted to turn the site into a fitness studio and wellbeing centre.
The original application, submitted by JT Fitness, was approved in October 2023 and images on the JT Fitness website still show the proposed studio being located at the Vicarage Road site.
However this latest application, submitted by the agent Abbott Hull Associates on behalf of an applicant called Mrs R Kendrick, involves the exact same site and sets out entirely different plans for its use.
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Hide AdUnder the newly submitted plans, the 349.2m² site, which is thought to be of early 20th century origin, would be turned into a large open plan office.
The application form states the office will be open between 8:30am-6:00pm Monday to Saturday and there will be 12 full time and 12 part-time employees.
The planning drawings demonstrate how the dance floor and DJ booth on the first floor will instead be home to an open plan office space, whilst off the side of that will be a staff kitchen, toilets and raised platform areas in the same layout as the former night club.
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Hide AdThe second floor will then be home to a reception area, a staff room/office and a storage room with the layout again being the same as the site before a change of use.
In the consultee comments section, Conservation Officer Ian Heywood states he has “no objection to the proposed development”, which is located within the Poulton-le-Fylde Conservation Area.
Mr Heywood writes: “The proposed works of development seek to make a considerable enhancement to the front elevation of the building and the choice of a window style that harks back to the original, Queen Anne revival, style that was popular in the late 19th and early 20th Centuries is welcomed.
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Hide Ad“The proposed development is therefore considered to be acceptable and to enhance the appearance of the conservation area at this point.”
The site was last used as a nightclub called NuBlu, but before that it was the nightclubs Deja Vu, Uber and The Residence.
The other planning application submitted last year by JT Fitness would have seen the site operating as a gym with free weights, plate-loaded equipment, cardio machines and a studio for exercise classes.
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Hide AdIt also would have been home to an on-site kitchen offering healthy, locally-sourced meals, alongside nutrition seminars for members and the local community.
Blackpool Gazette approached JT Fitness for more information and they have now confirmed that they are not going ahead with their plans for 2 Vicarage Road.
You can read the full planning application to turn The Residence into an office here.
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