A new dawn is on the horizon for one of the oldest gyms in Nottingham. Luke Willmott, the owner of the long-standing Castle Gym, has signalled the 'first step in a new era' after unveiling a plan to open a new venue within the empty Tales of Robin Hood attraction in Maid Marian Way.
Castle Gym closed at the end of November after 40-odd years running from its former site in Castle Boulevard. Its previous building had been sold by the city council and, following the sale, an eviction notice was later served to the team behind the gym, which was forced to close.
But Mr Willmott now has his eye on a new venture within the old Tales of Robin Hood building - in what he described as an "incredible location". He said: "This is a new project that I’m developing after having had to close down the iconic Castle Gym last year. That was the end of an era.
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"It is early days for this project and there are a lot of moving parts that we are managing but this might just be the first step in a new era for what is an incredible location in the heart of the city that really deserves an exciting future after too many years of being effectively mothballed.”
New plans have been put forward to change the use of the vacant building to allow for a gym and restaurant to open within it. The space has stood empty since 2009, the year the Tales of Robin Hood went into voluntary liquidation.
Back in its heyday, a chairlift would take visitors on a re-creation of Medieval Nottingham and Sherwood Forest. But the Tales of Robin Hood, which opened in 1989, closed due to rent arrears. A Tesco Express later opened within part of the large building.
East Midlands Chamber head of enterprise Paul Stuart said it was great to see the long-standing gym bounce back. He said: “While some long-established businesses have struggled over the past few years due to a direct impact of the pandemic, changes in consumer habits and a cost-of-doing business crisis, others have prospered after building up a loyal customer base over the years.
“It’s great to see a company with such a long history in Nottingham and having been displaced through no fault of its own still have the tenacity to succeed by aiming to find new premises. The best city centres feature a healthy mix of places to live, work and spend leisure time, with gyms also having a key role to play in servicing these residents and workers.”
Several plans were submitted in recent years for the empty space but they never progressed. Most recently a project led by a separate applicant to convert the building into an adult-only crazy golf bar was granted planning permission. But it was scuppered because of the coronavirus pandemic.
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