You need several resources to start a gym or a fitness centre, and space (property) is one of them.
You will need sufficient space and at an adequate location if you want your fitness centre to be successful. On the other hand, those who own a big space (property) can consider giving the property on rent to someone who wants to start a fitness related business.
In order to start a gym or a fitness centre in India, one needs commercial property. Only if the property has a a commercial status can you buy/lease it and start a fitness centre. You will also need to take the NOC (No-objection certificate) from builder or the society.
Should gyms and fitness centres be allowed in residential areas?
A Supreme Court-appointed monitoring committee recently ordered sealing of all gym, yoga and meditation centres violating the master plan norms for Delhi (MPD) 2021. According to the committee, all these centres fall under the ‘other’ category of land use. The order is also applicable irrespective of the nature of the road — commercial, mixed or non-notified — if an establishment has come up after the cutoff date of August 12, 2008 as per a notification of Delhi Development Authority, the committee has said.
However, the Master Plan will most likely be amended to allow gyms and other fitness centres on commercial and mixed-land use roads after fitness enthusiasts, trainers and gym owners opposed the decision to seal gyms in residential areas.
“Only 5 per cent of gyms are in malls and DDA markets while the rest are in the residential areas. People came here for staying fit and fine. Putting a ban on gyms is like working against the Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Fit India movement,” said Paras a gym trainer. Due to protests from public and the fitness industry, the master plan is now likely to be changed to accommodate these centres.
“It is imperative that these centres should be located at walking distances from where people live. I have advised the VC (vice-chairman), DDA, to ensure that an amendment is expeditiously moved in MPD 2021 so that citizens can continue to live & exercise in close vicinity.” He added, “We live in a New India where tremendous emphasis is laid on health & fitness…People of all ages head to their fitness & yoga centres, first thing in the morning. “Thousands of gyms are operating in the city, employing over a lakh. As the majority has come up after 2008, it will be unfair to seal them. Their associations have also urged us to act. For residential areas, we are clear that there are more benefits of keeping gyms, yoga centres and meditation centres there,” tweeted Union housing and urban affairs minister Hardeep Singh Puri.
In some areas, loud gym music and vehicles parked on the road can cause nuisance to people in residential areas.
Few years back, National Green Tribunal (NGT) heard a plea by East Delhi residents seeking directions for closure of a gym in Ram Vihar alleging it was creating noise pollution in the area, as per this report.
“The gym and spa plays very loud music on power amplifiers which generates a lot of noise that irritates the inhabitants and causes vibration in the wall. Besides this, 50 to 100 vehicles are being parked on the road and on the pedestrian path which obstructs the way of the vehicles and pedestrians resulting air pollution and noise pollution,” the plea said.
The residents said they approached the statutory authorities (Delhi Pollution Control Committee and police) “number of times” to take appropriate action against the “erring” gym for causing pollution but no effective steps were taken.
The green panel agreed in favour of the residents; it termed loud music from gyms located in residential areas as source of “nuisance” and restrained the health club from playing music in and around it. The panel warned the gym that “if the use of amplifying system is not stopped, coercive measures shall be resorted to”.
Usually no permission is given to open and run a Gym in a residential Building. Please note there is a difference between residential area and residential building. Even in residential areas there are few Buildings which has shops, Offices etc. (as per Municipal Building Regulations).
So in case you are planning to open a gym in a residential area, make sure it is approved for commercial purposes. If there is no approval for commercial purpose, action can be taken against you is someone complains to the Municipal (or Panchayat) Authorities.
