A former community hub and public sector offices in Devonport could be turned into a gym and flats.

Plymouth City Council sold Welcome Hall in 2022 after it became “surplus to requirements”. It was on the market for a year before it sold at auction.

Current owner Sultan Ahmed of Nazim Properties wants to change the ground floor into a gym, shop, sauna, treatment room, plant room, changing rooms and an office / reception, and the two floors above into five one-or-two bedroom flats.

Planning documents say that the hall was a community resource centre for people living or working in Devonport for nearly three decades. The hall was used by community leisure groups for dance classes, lunch clubs and evening performances in front of up to 150 people.

The proposal claims the gym will be at a scale not available locally and would   have a maximum number of 200 members, with three full time and two part time staff. Parking won’t be provided because it would make the scheme “financially unviable”.

Following concern raised by the officers during a pre-application process, an acoustic review has recommended double-glazed windows and trickle vents to reduce noise from traffic.

In addition, an acoustic wall lining would be installed in rooms sharing a party wall with Devonport Playhouse so the audience doesn’t disturb residents of the flats, especially during evening performances.

The review said that given the limited use of Devonport Playhouse and the anticipated level of sound transference, it is “unlikely” that noise from the stage and audience would have significant adverse impact on people living in the flats.

The rest of the space, previously used for offices by the public sector including Plymouth City Council won’t change until a decision is made about its future use.