The decision comes despite Newham Council planning officers recommending it be refused over noise fears, reports Nick Clark, Local Democracy Reporter

Central Park Community Centre, East Ham (credit Google)

A community centre in East Ham has won its bid to open early for exercise and breakfast clubs.

Central Park Community Centre wanted planning permission to open as early as 4am – but was nearly refused this last month due to noise concerns.

However councillors voted to approve the earlier hours yesterday (Monday 24th) after planning officers were convinced the noise would be “limited and acceptable”.

The community centre was first granted planning permission to open at 296 High Street South in 2019. However, the planning agreement restricted its opening hours to 8am-11pm Mondays to Saturdays, and 9am-10pm on Sundays and bank holidays.

The centre applied in July to amend these conditions to 4am-11pm, seven days a week.

Council planning officers were concerned this could be too noisy for people living nearby. They recommended that councillors vote to refuse the application at a local development committee on 6th October. But councillors on the committee voted to defer their decision instead.

Community centre volunteer Zain Miah told them the club would provide breakfast for children in poverty, and said the centre was willing to alter its start time.

The centre the provided the council with a plan for how it would manage the exercise and breakfast clubs.

It said between six and ten centre employees would deliver and prepare the food in the morning. Deliveries would be once a day by car, and take five minutes.

The plan also said the centre wouldn’t be open to the public before 6am, sessions would not involve music and instructors’ voices would not be amplified. Doors woud be kept closed except for entering and exiting.

Council officers said this meant they now “considered the impacts to neighbouring properties would be limited and acceptable in this instance”.

Last night, councillors voted to approve the application unanimously.

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