The Bethnal Green Weightlifting Club, a historic volunteer-run gym in east London, is set to be demolished after Tower Hamlets Council approved redevelopment plans for its current site.
The council intends to rehouse the club and use the existing location for residential housing and a new library. The local authority, led by the Aspire Party, has said the club will not have to relocate until a suitable alternative venue has been found.
Club members, however, warned that without a long-term solution, relocation "would quietly end us".
Club's 100-year history at risk
The Bethnal Green Weightlifting Club has operated from its gym on Turin Street and Bethnal Green Road since 1927, inside the council-owned Professional Development Centre. The club was told in 2024 that its lease would not be extended.
The council wants to demolish the centre and replace it with a library and 44 homes, including 24 for social rent. Councillors considered the planning application at a development committee hearing on Thursday.
Eleanor Smith, representing the club, told councillors: "We've been part of Tower Hamlets for 100 years and we're asking for your help to stay part of it. This is not a commercial gym – we're a registered charity run by volunteers."
Community support and relocation talks
Ms Smith said club members included "school children and people in their 70s", "disabled athletes including Paralympic medallists", "ex-service men and women rebuilding their lives", "young women recovering from eating disorders" and "people suffering from depression who have found a coach-supported place to heal".
She said the club would need a new long-term home if relocated, adding: "You have the chance to be the council that protected a hundred-year treasure of this borough and to be remembered for it."
Council planning officers said the club had received a "significant level of community support" during a public consultation. They noted that London-wide and national planning policies protecting sports facilities meant the council would have to find an "equivalent or better" replacement.
Officials said securing an alternative location for the club was "fundamental to ensuring that the scheme is acceptable". They said discussions with the club were ongoing, and a legal planning agreement would prevent demolition "unless and until suitable alternative accommodation has been made available".
Tom Ruff, also representing the club, said any legal agreement should include a lease of at least 15 years on the new property and "on terms no worse than today". He asked the committee not to approve the application until these protections were included.
Geoff Pearce, the officer in charge of the scheme, said the council "values" the weightlifting club and had found an alternative site in nearby Tent Street. He said the council was "clear" that "an equivalent facility in terms of usable space will be provided", with relocation costs met by the council and the new space ready before demolition.
Councillors voted to approve the application, with four in favour and two against.
