The former Balfour Street Uniting Church Hall may become a boutique gym and florist if a development application is approved.
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The Uniting Church sold the property, once known as St Stephens, last year when it consolidated its congregation down from several churches across the district.
The property sold in June last year, along with two other churches in Launceston and Relbia.
In September last year the site, on the corner of Balfour and Margaret Streets, was subdivided into several lots, with the church hall and office being one.
A development application lodged with the City of Launceston council on behalf of boutique gym POD Fitness seeks to transform the church hall at 96 Margaret Street into a fitness studio.
Another aspect of the application seeks permission to use the kitchen as an occasional florist.
The property is classed as inner residential and requires discretionary approval to be used for sport and recreation.
POD Fitness currently operates out at Boland Street offering daily gym classes, but is seeking to relocate to the Margaret Street church hall.
The hall is heritage listed but the submission to council notes the proposed conversion would require no external or internal changes that would affect the heritage nature of the property.
When owned by the Uniting Church, the hall was used frequently by the church’s craft group, until it became too big and was relocated elsewhere.
The new application would make use of the empty space in the former church hall by running fitness classes and personal training at the site, opposite Brickfields Reserve.
Fitness classes would be held mornings and evenings Monday to Friday and mornings Saturday, while personal training sessions would be held throughout the day.
The application notes the proposed use is “an ideal adaptive reuse of an existing heritage building which requires no internal or external works and makes use of an existing space”.
Using the kitchen as a florist, the application notes, is for occasional events only.
Parking along Margaret Street would cover most demands for gym attendees, the application says, with the class times generally outside business hours and school hours.
“It is also noted that given the nature of the business being a fitness studio, that many of the clients will walk or run to the site as experienced by the business owner in her current location,” the application says.
A two-car staff car park would be included in the development, although client parking would be “constrained” to one on-site park within the existing driveway.
The development application is advertised on the council website for public comment until May 7.