THE owners of a gym and wellness company have apologised after plans to open a fitness centre in a former Wirral library faced a backlash.

Plans have been submitted on Wirral Council’s planning website to turn the building that housed the former Hoylake Library on Market Street into a gym and wellness centre.

The building was closed in February 2022 by Wirral Council as part of plans to save £20m to balance its budget. The cut allowed community groups to come in and bid to save the facility.

At the time, The Life Tree, a Community Interest Company (CIC) based in Wirral, bid to keep the library going by turning it into a community hub with children’s clubs, work spaces and a coffee bar. However, the plan was rejected for not being viable.

A planning application submitted on behalf of gym group, Nomad, states: “In addition to traditional gymnasium activities, the applicants will provide a suite of wellness services to maintain and improve mental health outcomes for members and on an outreach basis to certain societal groups.

“These services and activities are described below by the applicants: NOMAD offers an environment not limited to a single demographic.

“NOMAD will offer a unique blend of physical and mental well-being currently not catered for in the Merseyside area.

“We will be attractive to everybody including professionals, students, children and local residents.

“NOMAD will be a destination for people throughout the Wirral. NOMAD will provide free children’s classes and also support to local schools.

“Providing our meditation/yoga & breath work teachers to help implement the Government’s plan to support mental health & wellbeing in schools.”

The application also states that the gym “would bring back into use a redundant library, thereby making a positive contribution to the vitality and viability of the area”.

However, the plans have faced a backlash from residents as part of the planning application proposes to remove two trees and a public bench from the pavement outside the building.

The application adds: “The applicants would also like to see the street trees and bench removed and relocated elsewhere.

"Their removal is not necessary to allow the change of use to take place but the popularity of the bench with local alcoholics is not a good fit with the applicants’ business model.

"This is a matter that could be pursued outside the planning application process.”

Following the proposals, a petition has been set up by residents opposing the plans to remove the bench and trees. More than 900 people have signed the petition.

Local resident, Jane Turner, who has set up the campaign, said: “There is a shortage of both trees and places to sit already in Hoylake. The distance to the next street tree in a SW direction is about 350m.  The removal is totally at odds with the principles of Healthy Streets, which Liverpool City Region is signed up to.

“Furthermore, the trees are used to display remembrance snowflakes around Christmas.

“We object to the plans to remove the bench and the trees and request that the planning application is brought to the planning committee.”

 A spokesperson for Nomad has since apologised to residents stating that the planning application was written by a “third party professional”.

A statement posted to social media read: “We just wanted to take the time to first apologise for any confusion this planning application has caused and to reassure everyone that the trees were never to be moved from this site.

“The planning application was written by a third party professional and the wording of this application regarding the bench is not at our request.

"This goes against everything we endeavour to deliver and believe in at Nomad and we want to clarify that it wasn’t written by us.

“The concept of Nomad is built on connection and we want to create a facility where everyone can connect with each other as well as their own mind, body and soul.

"We really are trying to create a harmonic place that will help the community with their physical and mental wellbeing.

“The trees outside the site are a beautiful fixture to both the high street and wider area and we have no intention to remove them.

"In regards to the bench, our plan is to restore it and give it some TLC. We hope to eventually add more seating to the area if it’s allowed and possible.

“Once again, we apologise for any offence caused and would hope that moving forward, you can all see the good things we want to deliver to the community.

“Nomad has been created by a local person wanting to bring positivity to the community so that we can build something special together, whilst helping the Hoylake high street flourish.”