Sussex Gym that closed due to dangerous concrete finds new home

Hove Fitness and Squash have announced that they have found a new building after their previous venue contained aerated concrete.
By Henry Bryant
Published 27th Dec 2023, 15:53 GMT
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In 2020, Hove Fitness launched, promising to be a community-led, friendly place for people to exercise, play squash and have a drink.

However, on Tuesday, October 10, the gym was unexpectedly forced to close in the middle of the day, as parts of the building were found to contain RAAC after a recent building inspection.

RAAC stands for Reinforced Autoclaved Aerated Concrete, and is a form of lightweight concrete used in construction in many buildings between the 1950s and 1990s.

The three directors of the gym.The three directors of the gym.
The three directors of the gym.
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    The reason it is dangerous is it is susceptible to structural failure when exposed to moisture. The bubbles can allow water to enter the material. If that occurs, any rebar reinforcing RAAC can also decay, rust and weaken.

    However, there’s good news for the Sussex gym company, with the three owners releasing an announcement video about a new venue on Friday, December 22. Co-owner Matt Lambert said: “We’re back, we’ve got a brand-new space we’re going into on St Helier’s Avenue near Portland Road, Hove.

    “It’s been done up new inside, we’re offering a yoga room a fully operational HYRIG Room, a dance studio an amazing gymnasium a lovely cafe, parking and four tennis courts! We’re looking to be back in around February time, and will keep you all in the loop about updates.

    “Thank you so much for everyone’s support and loyalty to us, we massively appreciate it and can’t wait to get our unique community together again.”