A 24-hour gym is set to begin operating at a town centre leisure complex next year, it has been confirmed.

The announcement comes months after KentOnline revealed that US firm Snap Fitness was set to open at the multi-million pound Elwick Place development in Ashford.

The fitness company - which currently has 67 gyms in the UK and eight in the county - has signed a 10-year lease for a 4,284 sq ft unit as part of a half a million pound investment in the site.

Set to open its doors in January 2020, the gym will bring 10 new jobs to the town.

Memberships for Snap Fitness include group fitness classes and access to the premises 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

Inside, there will be a functional training area, large free weights area and individual shower rooms.

Since launching 15 years ago, the firm has opened 2,000 gyms worldwide, including 67 in the UK.

Currently there are Snap Fitness gyms in Dover, Herne Bay, Sittingbourne, Queensborough, Maidstone, Tonbridge, Ebbsfleet and Dartford.

The latest announcement comes after Macknade revealed it plans to open a restaurant, bar and delicatessen before Christmas.

In the same month, the Ashford International Model Railway Education Centre (AIMREC) will also occupy a unit in the leisure complex.

The railway museum is set to open on Saturday, December 7, using the unit as a showroom before moving to a permanent home in the nearby County Square shopping centre.

Recursive Media and Dansaki Afro-Caribbean are set fill retails units next to Picturehouse cinema and Travelodge hotel - which have sat empty for almost a year.

Isaac Buchanan, CEO of Snap Fitness UK and Ireland, said: “We are delighted to add Ashford to our list of locations across the UK.

"This represents an investment of more than £500,000 in Elwick Place and the team will be working hard to get the new club ready to welcome new members.

"We are passionate about making Snap Fitness Ashford a happy and healthy place for all members young and old, at all levels of experience.”

Council bosses say that negotiations are underway with a number of businesses interested in taking space at Elwick Place, with further announcements expected soon.

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