Wellness influencer wins heated planning row with neighbours over £30,000 pilates studio

Megan Smith, 24, built the studio at her grandparents’ £825,000 home in North Wootton, near King's Lynn in Norfolk.

The outhouse opened in November without planning permission, which prompted a retrospective application giving residents the chance to formally raise concerns.

Objections centred on noise, parking pressures, early morning classes and the promotion of hen parties on social media.

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Councillor Richard Coates described the area as a “particularly quiet part of the village where not much happens."

Cllr Coates said: “I come from a business background and I would normally want to support businesses, and I look for a reason for the business to exist, but it's a little difficult here because it's a quiet area.”

The studio hosts up to six classes a week, between 6am-7pm on weekdays and 9am to 12pm on weekends.

The site has quickly gathered popularity thanks to its impressive facilities, which include an onsite cafe, ice bath, sauna and a number of Pilates reformer machines.

More than 20 locals lodged objections to the studio prior to a West Norfolk planning meeting on Monday morning, with many pointing out that there are already dance classes and yoga in North Wootton village hall.

Simon Ring, the deputy leader of the council, said Miss Smith had made "errors" since opening her doors.

He said: “I've never heard of a small, quiet hen party before.

“Also the applicant started classes at 6am in the morning. That is not business that should be happening in a residential area.”

However rather than push for refusal, Ring proposed granting temporary approval rather than refusing the application outright.

He added: “I hope the neighbours can get back to being the neighbours that they once were and not objecting to what each other is doing.”

Smith has said that if the business is successful, she wants to seek premises elsewhere in the village.

Her grandfather, Bernie Smith, who helped invest in the studio, told councillors the studio was operating “at a lower intensity than originally envisaged”, with limited class sizes and careful scheduling.

He said it was aimed at people seeking gentle exercise, rehabilitation and improvements to physical and mental wellbeing.

Mr Smith added that he had kept a log of vehicle movements over the past two months, which showed that 40% of visitors arrived on foot or through car sharing.

Ultimately, West Norfolk’s planning committee unanimously approved Smith’s bid.

The approval gives the influencer one year to see if the conditions, which include limited opening hours, work successfully.

It will be reviewed again by councillors in 2027.