David Lloyd Leisure proposing to open club in Stafford

David Lloyd Leisure is bringing forward plans for a new club in Stafford, with proposals now out for public consultation ahead of a planning application being submitted. The company says it wants to build a premium health, fitness and racquets club on land at Stafford Gate, to the north of the M6 and south of Creswell Grove.

According to the consultation website, the proposed development would include a gym, indoor and outdoor swimming pools, racquet facilities, group exercise studios, a spa and spa garden, a clubroom for food and drink, work and social spaces, plus indoor and outdoor play areas for children.

David Lloyd says a new access would be created from Creswell Grove, linking into the existing internal road network on the site. It also says the location already has a planning history for commercial and leisure development, with outline planning permission granted in 2019 for a mixed-use scheme including offices, a hotel, nursery and leisure uses. The company says some infrastructure has already been delivered there, including an access road and sustainable drainage features, but the wider hotel and leisure uses did not come forward.

The company says the club would create between 70 and 100 permanent jobs, with around 50 temporary construction jobs during the build. It also says the proposals are intended to add to Stafford’s leisure offer and support active lifestyles for people of all ages.

David Lloyd Leisure says it was founded in 1982 and now operates 139 clubs across the UK, Republic of Ireland and mainland Europe, with more than 800,000 members and over 11,500 employees.

At this stage, the plans are still at consultation stage rather than full planning application stage. The project website says local people can leave feedback online until Monday 30 March.

If the scheme does move forward, it would bring another major leisure name to Stafford and could become a significant new development on the edge of town.

How to give feedback

To give your feedback and view the proposals in full, you can visit their website by clicking here