Whanganui to get new gym as City Fitness comes to town

An artist's impression of what the City Fitness location could look like. Photo / Supplied

Plans for the old Briscoes building on Whanganui's St Hill St have been revealed.

City Fitness gym is moving into the site which is currently being worked on by owner Wallace Development.

Wallace's development manager Tim Fitz-Herbert said City Fitness would take all of the site's approximately 2100 square metre capacity.

The building had been on the market for the past few years before Wallace Development purchased the site in May.

"We'd been keeping an eye on it for a while and recognised it's good, modern and generic, and it was just a case of finding the right users for it," Fitz-Herbert said.

"City Fitness came along and had a requirement for a new premise in Whanganui. That was the catalyst for us to purchase the property and spend the money to turn it around.

"Because it's an existing structure there's a good shell to work with and more cost effective than having to start from scratch."

Wallace Development is transforming the building into a gym location for City Fitness. Photo / Bevan Conley

Wallace Development began working on the site three weeks ago and is expected to have its landlord construction work completed by mid-November.

Fitz-Herbert said City Fitness would then start its tenant work and is expected to begin trading at the site early next year.

Wallace Development was founded in Whanganui around 35 years ago, and although its headquarters is now in Hawke's Bay the company often works on buildings in its hometown.

"It's exciting to be doing another project in Whanganui and it's good to see a new business coming to the city," Fitz-Herbert said.

"It's good to take an existing building that was empty and detracting from the city, and turn it into something that's actually going to improve the cityscape and add value to the city."

City Fitness has been approached for comment.