Glam influencer at battle with neighbours over £30k Pilates studio in her backyard
Megan Smith has been in the grips of a bitter planning permission row with her neighbours for two months, but she has no intention of changing her home back to how it was
A wellness influencer has branded her neighbours “small minded” they hit out at the £30,000 Pilates studio that she built – in her back garden.
Megan Smith, 24, sold everything she owned to open Luco Wellness, based in her grandparents home in leafy Kings Lynn, Norfolk, after returning from Dubai.
After she had the studio installed two months ago, she has since expanded the site even further, and has even opened up a matcha café, much to the dismay of those who live nearby.
But she has left her neighbours in a spin and her retrospective bid for planning permission has received dozens of objections from villagers about noise levels, parking and safety risks to pedestrians.
Locals said they are being negatively impacted because of the roads being blocked because of her new instalments. But Megan has said she has no intentions of changing things back to the way they used to be.
Megan, who boasts 23,000 followers on Instagram, said she was being drawn into a row over the use of her grandparent’s garden and what she can use it for. She said that she has been called by the council several times about their concerns.
She told The Sun: “There have been complaints put into the council about potential noise, but we got a noise consultant to check the noise levels during classes, and it was totally acceptable.
“The windows are closed and we have air conditioning so you cannot hear anything. I think some people are objecting because it is something new and they don’t like change. People around this area can be very small minded.”
Fitness fanatic Megan says that she believes she her business is doing “no harm” and her grandparents gave their blessing for her to use their garden.
After being installed by her granddad Bernie, 71, Megan revealed she spent her entire life savings on Pilates machines. She alleged that when speaking with planning consultants, she was told to start running classes straight away, despite needing planning permission.
She explained that an application was sent the council, but had to get started straight away as it “took a lot of time” and she “needed to earn money”.
Megan added that much of her clientele are people who live nearby, and those who need to park can do so without blocking the road. She said: “Norfolk highways were consulted about what I am doing, and they have no objections at all.”
The studio officially opened its doors on November 3 and now hosts up to six classes a day, between 6am and 7pm on weekdays and 9am to 12 noon on weekends.
However, residents living nearby have blasted the business, saying that it was “incompatible with the peaceful enjoyment of residents’ properties”.
A formal complaint made by those living in the area was submitted, saying that should formal planning permission be granted, it would impact their mental health. Others voiced their concerns that cars are clogging the road, causing a hazard as a result.
The letter called for a local planning firm to urge the council to reject the proposals, saying the studio will mean people will meet “at a scale and intensity inappropriate within predominantly residential area”.
They also alleged that it would impact local amenities and “would not be keeping with the residential character of the area”.
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