Health club open date is put back

A STATE-OF-THE-ART fitness centre and sports shop will not be open until June next year.

The JJB Sports health and fitness centre, part of Tunstall's Jasper Square development, was originally scheduled to open its doors before Christmas.

But the centre will now not open until June next year, although fitting -out is expected to start soon.

JJB says it expects to start recruiting early next year. A spokesman confirmed that the centre should create between 50 and 60 jobs.

The Scotia Road site will feature a JJB store as well as a swimming pool, two hot spas, a fibre optic lit steam room, an air conditioned gym, exercise studios, luxury changing rooms and a members' lounge and bar.

It had been due to open in November but bosses pushed the date back after deciding there wasn't enough time to fit the centre out in time for the busy pre-Christmas period.

The 45,000 sq ft centre is part of the third phase of development at Jasper Square, which has already seen new Carphone Warehouse, Next, Argos and Matalan stores being built on the former Wedgwood Alexandra Pottery site. Developer Dransfield Properties says it hopes to submit a revised planning application for phase four – which includes a base for Stoke-on-Trent Primary Care Trust – early next year.

Dransfield says it is confident of making "significant progress" on the project during 2009, despite the difficult economic conditions.

Retail property director Andrew Malley said: "With regards to the opening of the JJB store, it has always been the intention to commence fit out works in February 2009 as there was insufficient time to fit out the premises for a pre-Christmas opening.

"We are hopeful that a revised application will be submitted in early 2009.

"While economic conditions are difficult, we are confident that this development will make significant progress during 2009 and we are looking forward to delivering the next phase."

The project is expected to create up to 500 jobs in total once complete.

But Tunstall Chamber of Trade chairman, Brendan Fern, said that although he welcomes new jobs in the area, he is worried Jasper Square is drawing shoppers away from smaller shops on the High Street.

He said: "New developments have got to go ahead but it is obviously affecting the old High Street, where more shops are closing. Until the economy picks up, there aren't going to be people interested in taking these shops on.

"But it's not something that's specific to Tunstall – it's happening all over the country."

He added: "It would be nice if some of the bigger shops would help to support the others. We've just had our Christmas lights switch-on and the only good response we got from the big shops was from Argos.

"The big retail units take more on one Saturday morning than the rest of Tunstall does in a week, but they don't want anything to do with it.

"The lights switch-on was a big success but it was only the local traders and Argos who helped support it."