A NEW fitness studio is due to be built in a Southampton street.

Plans have been approved by Southampton City Council to erect an outbuilding in a private garden, which will be used as a fitness studio for one-to-one and group classes of up to eight people.

Submitted by Dr Beike Hiemstra, the building will be in the back garden of a home on Medina Road in Shirley.

Dr Hiemstra said that they hope to work towards "enhancing the well-being, cultural and physical activities in Shirley" as well as training dancers and aerialists to become "confident" performers.

However, the plans were met with objections over concerns surrounding parking, traffic and noise.

Proposals were originally approved in August 2020 for an outbuilding to be used for personal training.

Classes will take place between 5.30pm to 9pm on weekdays and there will be a maximum of eight people per class.

No sound amplification systems will be operated within the building and all music, vocals and noise from the use of gym equipment will be controlled in order to be inaudible from neighbouring properties.

In a bid to minimize "nuisance", the applicant has put in place a number of traffic and parking strategies in place.

They will offer customers a discounted price should they choose to come to classes in an eco-friendly way such as by foot, bike, e-Scooter or public transport. Bicycle and scooter racks will be provided on the premises.

All parking will be allocated to Shirley Centre Car Park and there will be 15 minute breaks between all classes to avoid congestion.

Mark Westcott, of Medina Road, said in an objection letter to the Council: "There are 35 households on the street which include few HMO, but there are only 22 street parking spaces for standard car lengths available.

"We also share parking spaces with the surrounding street especially Anglesea Road and Winchester Road.

"If classes of eight are permitted, then an extra 16 cars potentially need the parking space, where can they go? We as residents do not want to drive around 5-6pm looking for a parking space after a hard day at work."

In a second objection letter, Lisa Longhurst said: "I would ask the Council to consider whether, had the original application been for the intended business use (which was expected and raised by neighbours) rather than the stated personal use, would an application have been approved at all originally?"

Sarah Munday, a resident of Medina Road, added: "Participants to the classes will park in the road dispute the proposal of parking in the nearby supermarket and walking round how can this possibly be policed?

"We have to pay for parking permits and won't be able to park in the road due to the classes as inevitably when the participants drive past and see spaces they will park in them.

"How can the council police the class size of eight? With space in the garden and the house how can we be sure this size of class is fixed?"

Southampton City Council has approved the plans conditionally.