Empire Club and Land

The site is located on Newfoundland Road, Bristol. At its peak, the former Empire Sports Club had 2000 members, however as new gyms opened offering more up to date facilities the membership dropped. There are 26 gyms in a 2-mile radius of the site including the St Pauls Community Sports Academy opened by Bristol City Council in 2001 approximately 320m away. The premises have been on the market for 18 months and the owner initially tried to sell the building and business as a going concern. However, the cost of the upkeep and repairs to the Grade II listed building means it is not a viable concern. The ladies gym closed in 2013 and the mens gym in 2014.

Empire Sports Club has now relocated to upgraded and more suitable facilities in the local area, having secured a grant from Sports England.

About the site

The site sits on the edge of a group of streets made up of Victorian terrace houses. It was until recently part of the housing stock. This is demonstrated in the images shown below. The proposed scheme would reinstate the historic street make up of the site by re-establishing a row of terraced housing.The former Empire Sports Club is a Grade II listed building. The property was listed as Grade II on 30th December 1994. The list entry number is 1217951.