A NEW gym will open in an empty listed building on Southend’s High Street.

National gym chain, Energie Fitness, has had plans to change the use of 3-5 High Street into a gym approved by Southend Council.

The locally listed four-storey building, which previously homed a British Heart Foundation store, will see roughly £400,000 spent converting the ground floor and basements into a gym.

The shop has stood empty for roughly a year, with the applicant stating the location of building has been advertised for rent for more than nine months, with no “serious interest” being shown in it.

The applicant has also proposed that a small unit at the rear of the building will be used as a studio for spin classes.

Shopper Dave Harris, 37, of London Road, Westcliff, was pleased that the empty shop will have a new lease of life and said: “It is always nice to hear of something filling an empty shop.

“I would have liked to see another shop, maybe some kind of big name retailer, but that is optimistic. We have our fair share of gyms, but hopefully it offers something new and stays for a long time.”

The upper floors were previously converted into flats.

The applicant says the new gym will create nine new jobs on the High Street, in a welcome boost to town centre trade.

Energie Fitness was founded in 2003 and now has 93 gyms across the UK.

Applicants Hobbs-Parker Property Consultants said: “Overall the application is considered to propose an entirely acceptable use for the ground floor of the building. It will provide welcome investment for the high street and create new jobs in the town. The use of a vacant retail unit as a gymnasium is entirely appropriate town centre use and will provide a facility for local residents and enhance the economy.”