Nearly 500 Edinburgh gym-goers plead with owners to reconsider closure plans
Nearly 500 people have signed the petition urging owners not to leave the site
Members are pleading with the owners of a city centre gym to reconsider plans to shut it down at the end of the month.
Anish Patel, who started the petition which now has nearly 500 signatures, said closing the Gym Group’s Waverley Gate location would remove an affordable and accessible place to workout while putting staff and personal trainers' livelihoods at risk.
Its owners announced last week that the 24-hour Waterloo Place gym will shut for good at midday on Monday, November 30.
The Gym Group said they are in contact with the gym members behind the petition but have no choice but to leave the site because the landlord has other plans for the site’s future use.
The budget fitness chain has locations in Cameron Toll, Corstorphine, Meadowbank, Murrayfield and Straiton but Mr Patel says travelling to other locations may not be practical or affordable for all gym-goers.
It is unclear whether staff at the 14-year-old gym, which currently sits among construction hoardings, will be transferred to a different location.
The petition is urging the company’s leadership and the owners of Waverley Gate to come to a commercially suitable arrangement to keep the gym location and suggested a temporary extension could be put in place when discussions are underway.
It read: “We recognise that commercial property decisions involve financial considerations. However, the wider consequences for thousands of members and the local community deserve serious consideration.”
“We are not campaigning against The Gym Group. We are asking everyone involved to work constructively towards protecting affordable fitness in central Edinburgh.”
In the likely scenario that an agreement between The Gym Group and Waverley Gate cannot be reached, Mr Patel is asking the firm to find another premises nearby.
A spokesperson for The Gym Group said: “We are supporting our valued members with an offer to relocate and continue training with us.
“We recognise the important role affordable fitness plays in local communities, and we continue to actively seek new property opportunities, as part of our growth plans.”