FITNESS enthusiasts could be swapping the dumbbell for the wine bottle after a planning application by Majestic Wine to take over one of the only Anytime Fitness gyms in South Wales.

Majestic Wine wants to change the use of the ground floor of “The Moorwell” site, opposite boozer The Windsor, in Penarth, from gym to retail.

The Anytime Fitness site in the town is one of only two in South Wales, with the other in Park Fforestfach, Swansea. 

It is anticipated there will be five full-time employees for the site of the proposed Majestic Wines.

No physical changes are proposed as part of the planning application.

Majestic Wine is seeking opening hours for the site of Monday to Thursday 10am to 7pm, Friday 10am to 8pm, Saturday 9am to 7pm and Sunday 10am to 5pm.

The application is awaiting consultation responses after being submitted to Vale Council’s planning department.

South Wales Argus: Anytime Fitness Penarth could become a Majestic WinesAnytime Fitness Penarth could become a Majestic Wines (Image: Majestic)

South Wales Argus: Majestic Wine wants to move in to the gym, creating five jobsMajestic Wine wants to move in to the gym, creating five jobs (Image: Newsquest)

The 24-hour gym that closed: Anytime Fitness Penarth unexpectedly shuts its doors

On October 20 last year, Anytime Fitness Penarth was forced to shut its doors in what was described as an “unfortunate and surprising closure”.

On the door of the gym was a letter written by Project Three Developments saying the landlord had “re-entered” the property and as a result the lease was “forfeited”.

Anytime Fitness put on their Instagram that the closure was “temporary” and so it was, with the gym regaining access to the site around a week later right at the end of October.

At the time, instructors at Anytime left an emotional message on social media when they discovered their gym had abruptly closed.

South Wales Argus: Instructors left an emotional message on Instagram when the gym was forced to abruptly close for a week last yearInstructors left an emotional message on Instagram when the gym was forced to abruptly close for a week last year (Image: Anytime Instagram)

Rae Carpenter, Kurt Andrews, Liam Hatch, Craig Wilcox and James Darlington left a message on Penarth Anytime Fitness Instagram, saying: “Thank you for all your kind messages of support since Friday's shocking action and subsequent temporary closure of the gym.

“We understand how frustrating this is for you.

“We understand how the gym and the community we have built is more than ‘just going to the gym’.

“We understand that this situation means that many of us will not only struggle with not moving our bodies as we want to, but that for those of us whose workouts play a huge part in our daily mental health care; there is an extra struggle. 

"We hear you. We get it. We are with you. And we feel the same.

“Thank you for bearing with us in such early stages of this really unfortunate situation.”

Look at the planning application on Vale Council's planning portal: Number: 2024/00037/FUL.