An Alsager gym is transferring its classes to a neighbouring branch – because the owners say it is losing clients after parking charges were introduced in the town.
John Williams, who runs Ground Zero Fitness with wife Jodie, said the business would remain in Alsager as a gym but said that because the number of people attending had fallen since parking changes came in, all classes will be switched to its Kidsgrove operation from 1st February, because the gym there has its own car park and the nearby Newcastle-under-Lyme borough council car park is free, (ITALICS writes local democracy reporter Belinda Ryan).
Mr Williams said: “We’ve had lack of footfall since the parking (charges) have gone in at Alsager and Fairview car park specifically, which is across the road from the gym.”
He said clients had told them the reason was because of the parking charges.
“We’ve had people leave, cancel their memberships, because they can’t park,” said Mr Williams.
“Some of them that have left have been with us since day one, when we took over the gym in January 2018.”
Mr Williams explained Ground Zero Fitness would remaining open in Alsager as “gym-only” because there was land near an entrance to Milton Park where drivers could still leave their cars free of charge, and some gym clients had been able to park there.
But he said this filled quickly as people now avoided using the council-owned car parks.
He said he hoped the gym-only users would have more chance of finding a space there if the classes moved to Kidsgrove and its free parking.
But he added he and his wife would have to monitor the situation as so many people now used that land to park free.
He said: “We’ve survived covid, we were surviving the cost-of-living crisis and then to be sunk by Cheshire East Council was the final nail in the coffin.
“I feel sad. We’re hardworking people… To have to move businesses away from Alsager is disappointing.”
Mrs Williams said the parking charges were also impacting the self-employed personal trainers who ran courses at the gym.
“They can be in and out of our gym three to four times a day and if they can’t park and have to pay every time they come in that ends up being quite a lot of money to go to work,” she said.
