A DEVELOPER says plans to turn a 15-year-old spa and fitness centre into new homes is the only way to keep the historic building in use.

An appeal was made by the owners of the Garrison Spa and Fitness Centre in Horseshoe Crescent, Shoebury after planning permission was refused to redevelop the building into three houses and two flats.

Ian Homan, of B2C Holdings, owners of the former gunnery drill shed said the building desperately needs to be used after only being open for two years in the last 30 years.

Mr Homan said: “This is story about a courageous plan to try to get the spa and fitness centre into use which we did for two years.

“When it could not be fixed any more simply the building needed a new life, let’s not forget the building has only been used for two years since 1986.”

The spa was completed in 2004 as part of the Garrison estate project, which saw the former military ground transformed into a community of homes with homes reaching prices of up to £2.9million.

The centre was intended to act as a gym and spa specifically for residents to use only.

However, the facility struggled to open as a provider would not agree to work under the planning restrictions of the original agreement, which stated only residents could use the space.

Mr Homan and his business partner, Peter Thompson, planned to finally welcome their first guests into the gym in 2014, after buying the building and refurbishing the facility over the course of the year before.

Mr Homan added: “Sadly in 2016 we had to close it as we struggled to maintain it due to the life of the steam room, sauna, pool, heating and dehumidification being approximately 10-years-old.

“This equipment even though hardly used was at end of life already.

“It needed a complete plant refit out of considerable costs, also worth noting the membership fees did not even cover the cost of the gas or electricity when other bills like insurance, staff costs and rates still needed to be paid.”

The centre went unused for some time as a gym and spa, however, did prove an important part of the Garrison community on occasions, chiefly when the centre was used for a Christmas Carol Service prior to its opening.

Year on year, residents continued to receive leaflets promoting the spa.

Mr Homan added: “They were sent to the Garrison community as part of their yearly resident’s bills, leaflets were had delivered as well & also social media promotion.”

After more than a decade of trying to get the gym fully off the ground across two different developers, Mr Homan and his partner decided that there was a need for change to be made within the facility.

He said that due to a lack of demand for premium spaces such as the Garrison facility, the natural decision should be that it should become residential space, in keeping with the rest of the development.

He added: “During 2016 there was also a massive change in attitude towards gyms, the takeover of LA Fitness by Pure Gym and a number of other low-cost providers emerged.

“Even in 2017, the Guardian wrote about how the gym landscape had changes into budget gyms, which any facility with pool, steam room & sauna was not.

“Sadly, time had ran out for this Garrison Spa and Fitness centre, and as much as we wanted to, we could not stem the tide.”