{"id":308630,"date":"2025-08-01T07:11:13","date_gmt":"2025-08-01T07:11:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/308630\/"},"modified":"2025-08-01T07:11:13","modified_gmt":"2025-08-01T07:11:13","slug":"more-than-170-people-stood-up-to-save-this-popular-farmhouse-gym-now-its-gone","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/308630\/","title":{"rendered":"More than 170 people stood up to save this ‘popular’ farmhouse gym – now it’s gone"},"content":{"rendered":"

“We are far more than just another gym”(Image: Manchester council)<\/p>\n

A \u2018popular\u2019 and beloved gym in a grade-II listed farmhouse is set to close and become flats \u2014 despite more than 170 objections.<\/p>\n

Little Box Gym, which opened on St Werburgh\u2019s Road in Chorlton<\/a> in February 2017, faces an uncertain future after building owners secured planning permission to convert its 18th century home into three apartments.<\/p>\n

The planning application was met with fierce opposition, with 172 objections sent to Manchester council. Most said losing the gym would mean the neighbourhood will lose \u2018a vital and unique community hub\u2019.<\/p>\n

Ahead of the meeting, a council report said \u2018irrespective of the outcome of the planning application\u2019, applicant David Flanagan \u2018confirmed that leasing to the gym operator will be brought to an end\u2019.<\/p>\n

Never miss a story with the MEN’s daily Catch Up newsletter – get it in your inbox by signing up here<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

Speaking out about the decision, Little Box owner, Sarah Morrison, said: \u201cAfter more than eight years here, it hasn\u2019t been without its challenges, but we\u2019ve built something truly meaningful: a community.<\/p>\n

\u201cHough End is in Withington<\/a>, and YSG is in Whalley Range<\/a> \u2013 what we\u2019ve created here is deeply rooted in Chorlton. There is no other space quite like this in the area.<\/p>\n

\u201cOur community ties run deep. We support local schools like Chorlton High, Chorlton High South, William Hulme<\/a>, and Loreto with student work experience placements. Chorlton Park Primary uses our facilities for their \u2018Kids in the Gym\u2019 sessions and fun run days.<\/p>\n

\u201cLocal parents have formed what we affectionately call the \u2018Drop-In Squad\u2019. This is the kind of gym where clients come in even when they\u2019re having a tough time and don\u2019t feel like it \u2013 because we are a community and they know we genuinely care. We are far more than just another gym.\u201d<\/p>\n

(Image: Manchester council)<\/p>\n

However, Manchester council\u2019s planning committee said they \u2018empathised\u2019 with Ms Morrison but could not find a reason to block the application.<\/p>\n

Des Jones, council planning officer, said: \u201cWe have to look at the use of the heritage building.<\/p>\n

\u201cFrom a planning point of view that\u2019s all acceptable. There\u2019s no planning policy which would require a gym or employment place at this location.\u201d<\/p>\n

Others said they \u2018sympathised\u2019 with Ms Morrison\u2019s \u2018situation\u2019, with Coun Suzanne Richards adding: \u201cI would hope we as a council can support the business owner.\u201d<\/p>\n

The land around 136 St Werburgh\u2019s Road was once Park Brow Farm, which was a working farm until the mid-1980s, before it was sold off.<\/p>\n

Opening three more apartments continues a trend of more and more homes coming to former farmland, with terraced housing arriving in the late-1980s, when the farmhouse itself was listed, and apartments coming to a barn in 2006.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"“We are far more than just another gym”(Image: Manchester council) A \u2018popular\u2019 and beloved gym in a grade-II…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":308631,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8813],"tags":[748,8832,393,4884,2465,8828,285,16,15],"class_list":{"0":"post-308630","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-manchester","8":"tag-britain","9":"tag-chorlton","10":"tag-england","11":"tag-great-britain","12":"tag-manchester","13":"tag-manchester-council","14":"tag-politics","15":"tag-uk","16":"tag-united-kingdom"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@uk\/114952266858403415","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/308630","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=308630"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/308630\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/308631"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=308630"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=308630"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=308630"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}