PROPOSALS for a new gymnastics club have been met with 150 objection letters despite three families a day being turned away from the town’s current facilities.

Bracknell Gymnastics Club currently operates from Bracknell Leisure Centre and has helped numerous members reach the Great Britain squad in the process.

The facilities are no longer fit for purpose however, the club argues in plans submitted to Bracknell Forest Council.

Its Bagshot Lane home has no pit areas to practice safe landing and the Club suffers from an overall lack of space.

The application states: “As it is, Bracknell Gymnastics Club is the only high performance club in the country without pitted areas and this is putting great pressure on Bracknell Gymnastics coaches who are currently all carrying injuries sustained by over spotting/catching gymnasts.

“This under provision has been exacerbated with the recent closure of Edgbarrow and Sandhurst Sports Centres meaning that provision at Bracknell Leisure Centre and Pinewood Gymnastics Club is full with long waiting lists.

“Indeed, Bracknell Gymnastics Club is currently turning away on average three families a day with no provision to offer them. Therefore, the annual demand is four times greater than the current provision.”

As a solution, the Club wants to build a 10.5m high, 54 wide and 60m long state of the art facility with 118 parking spaces east of Downshire Driving Range.

The proposals have not been positively met however, with 151 objections registered with the council in less than three weeks.

Holly Dunn, of Canterville Place, said: “This will have a huge effect on the local park run which is a fantastic event for the whole of Bracknell, encouraging people to exercise and keep fit and is free and available to the whole community.

Mrs J Wood, of Stratfield Wooden Hill, questioned the need for another gymnastic club in the area.

She said: “It makes no sense to build another gymnastics club in such close proximity to the gymnastics club at Pinewood, which is less than a mile away.

“Surely it would make more sense to invest and improve in the existing Pinewood Club. Once this green space is built on, it is lost.

“We are already losing the green spaces of the TRL site and the Wokingham Charities site on Nine Mile Ride. we are being squeezed on all sides. Not to mention the added traffic congestion and noise.”

Patrick Haran, of architects Day Tanner Ltd, said: "It is important to know that Bracknell Gymnastics Club looked at a number of other sites within Bracknell including open spaces and within existing buildings but none were found to be suitable for reasons including lack of space for car parking, greater locational impacts in terms of proximity to residential areas and, in the case of existing buildings, lack of internal space or problems with change of use.

"We recognise that this land requires clearing and this is clearly an issue with local people, however, appropriate mitigation can be achieved with significant tree planting already shown on the plans and opportunities for habitat enhancements can be secured.

"We acknowledge the number of local objections to the application but are confident that if approved the centre will be seen in the wider landscape setting of other large buildings set in a large area of open space and it will become an integral part of that landscape with no significant effects on the local highways network or residential amenity."