A county councillor said she was “very disappointed and saddened” by the reaction of some people to a proposed new gym in the Carmarthenshire town she represents.

Cllr Sue Allen was speaking at a Carmarthenshire County Council planning meeting about an application to convert part of a unit at Wheelabout Park on the outskirts of Whitland for a 24-hour gym. The unit is used by a tree-felling business.

There were 13 objections and 16 supporting letters for the change of use application by Border Performance Ltd.

Planning officer John Thomas said Whitland Town Council had submitted a late objection “on the perceived competition” between the proposal and another gym which has recently opened in the town centre.

He said the council had “no jurisdiction to govern regarding two different companies” which wanted to operate the same form of development.

Cllr Allen said she didn’t know about gym business models or whether a town needed one at all.

“I have lived many decades but have never yet been inside one but do welcome the diversity of business in the town,” she said.

“As the local member I was very disappointed and saddened by the controversy this application has generated among some members of the community concerning a town centre gym being set up at the same time as this particular application was submitted.

“This application is a potential business and there is no room in planning decisions for non-material objections, and this is made clear in the officers’ report, and indeed there are no objectors present today.”

Cllr Allen said she was the first person to have written in support of the newly-opened town centre gym.

She went on to propose that the committee should support planning officers’ recommendation of approval for Border Performance Ltd’s application.

Objectors felt the new gym would result in too many fitness facilities locally and also raised parking and noise concerns.

Supporters said it would give people more choice, promote health and benefit adjacent sports clubs.

Cllr Jean Lewis said she sympathised with objectors but said it was nice to see a new business opening.

The committee voted unanimously in favour of the new Wheelabout Park gym, where 11 new parking spaces will be created.

Find out about planning applications that affect you by visiting the Public Notice Portal.

A noise management plan will have to be approved by the planning department, and amplified music can only be played at the new 24-hour gym between between 7am and 9pm.