A NEW top-of-the-range gym costing hundreds of thousands of pounds is set to bring more than 30 jobs to Braintree.

Ab Salute Gym applied for planning permission to open a new gym in Cooper Drive, on the Springwood Industrial Estate, in April.

Braintree Council granted permission on June 14 for the conversion of the site, a former warehouse, with work expected to begin within the next month.

Colin Hall, managing director of Ab Salute Gym and a former youth weightlifting champ, set up the company back in 2010 and now runs four gyms in Romford, Brentwood, Lakeside and Chelmsford.

Mr Hall, a resident of Chelmsford, said: “Braintree has been a place we have wanted to go to for a long time.

“It has taken a couple of years to find a building that is right with things like parking already there.

“The link between Braintree and Chelmsford is very strong. We do already have a lot of members come from Braintree.

“I do feel the town is a bit lacking in the leisure side of things.”

The conversion is expected to cost upwards of £500,000 to complete and the company expect 38 full and part-time jobs to be available, with only a few positions already filled.

Ab Salute Gyms have been described as part old school body building gym, but also helps train professional athletes of all kinds and of course your average Joe.

Mr Hall said: "We can cater for any kind of sport or person really. Everyone from absolute beginners to heavy body builders.

"In Chelmsford we have a lot of students use the gym and we offer benefits like they can suspend their contracts if they want."

Plans are in place for the company to launch their own food brand from a commercial kitchen at the Braintree unit.

The company are also hoping to introduce a scheme with businesses on the estate, offering discounted contracts in exchange for paying staff membership rates directly.

Mr Hall said: “If you know that you need to do some sort of exercise it will hopefully encourage people to do it either on their lunch break or after work.

"I think we started off at the right time as a company and with social media fitness has become more of a trend. Now instead of going to the pub you go to the gym."

Visit www.absalutegym.co.uk.