A new private wellness centre has been approved at a Chester site where a psychiatric hospital is also being developed.

The health centre, located in Chester Business Park, will operate separately from the psychiatric hospital, which Cheshire West and Chester Council approved last year.

The council's planning committee previously rubber-stamped the application by Cygnet Health Care to transform part of the two-storey building at One Lakeside, at Chester Business Park.

Now, in a separate application, Cygnet says the centre will operate as a healthcare-led facility rather than a leisure centre, with access controlled through private appointments.

It will include assessment and treatment rooms, a hydrotherapy pool, rehabilitation gym and pilates/reformer studio, as well as changing and shower facilities.

Facilities including the hydrotherapy pool and rehabilitation gym will only be available to clients undergoing supervised programmes following an assessment, the application explains.

In its assessment of the application, the council said the proposal would bring part of the building back into use and provide an additional healthcare facility.

However, the plans faced objections from the Chester Business Park Management Company, which represents the wider business park.

In a letter submitted to the council on behalf of the company, it argued that the current applications were "essentially a widening" of the original consent for a mental health facility, which it said had been justified on medical grounds.

It said the services were "certainly alien to the primary purpose" of the business park, which was intended to provide a high-quality office environment.

The company also questioned whether the wider range of wellness facilities amounted to a move towards a leisure use and said the proposal was not in keeping with the primary function of the business park.

However, the council's planning officer concluded that the proposed use would be compatible with the surrounding employment uses.

The report said: "The proposals would result in a social and economic benefit. They would provide a new health care facility which is supported by Policy SOC 5 and bring part-vacant building, into further use."

The planning officer also said the provision of a new health care facility "is given positive weight in favour of granting permission", adding that the site was "readily accessible by public transport".

The report also said the external changes were limited to the café seating area and replacement windows, and concluded that the development would "not be inappropriate development in the Green Belt".

On highways, the council said the proposed use was not expected to generate an unacceptable level of vehicle movements and that the local road network was capable of accommodating them.

An ancillary café and outdoor terrace are also part of the plans, while a separate health assessment and blood lab will operate from an adjoining building.

The centre will open from 8am to 6pm on Mondays, Tuesdays and Fridays, 8am to 8pm on Wednesdays and Thursdays, and 8am to 3pm on Saturdays.

Around 22 jobs are expected to be created at the centre, including physiotherapists, personal trainers, reception staff, café workers and management roles.

The approval is subject to a Deed of Variation to the existing legal agreement covering One Lakeside. Under the agreement, the healthcare and wellness centre will be permitted to operate from part of the ground floor.

If that use ceases, the original restriction on the building will be reinstated.

You can find the full application here.