Tipperary hurling legend Brendan Maher granted permission to create new gym
Three-time All-Ireland winner Brendan Maher has been granted planning permission to develop a new gym and wellness facility.
Mr Maher and his company BMA Performance Ltd applied to Tipperary County Council for planning permission to change the use of an existing light industrial unit on Railway Road in Thurles into a gym and wellness facility.
Under the plans, an open gym area would be created, along with a pilates studio. There would be 17 car parking spaces set up to serve the gym.
According to planning files, the facility will open from 6.30am to 9.30pm Monday to Friday, and 8am to 4pm on weekends and bank holidays. The gym will have a full-time staff of two, with an additional four part-time employees.
The proposed new gym in Thurles. Photo: Tipperary County Council planning portal.
An average of 150 people will use the facility daily, with a maximum of 20 people in a group class at a time, planning files show.
“It is also important to note that no noise disruption is anticipated as all external doors will always remain closed and music will be played at a background noise level, as this would reflect the type of atmosphere reflective of a modern wellness facility rather than a traditional gym, which is desired by the owners and operators,” an agent working on behalf of Mr Maher said.
The building was formerly used as a base for Dinan Timber Products, according to documents submitted in support of the application.
Tipperary County Council planners granted planning permission for the development, subject to four conditions.
Included among the conditions are that all waste from the gym and wellness facility be stored within the gym, and that proposals for building lighting be submitted to the council for their approval before development on the site starts.
Brendan Maher won three All-Ireland titles with Tipperary, and retired from senior hurling in 2021.
Since retiring from inter-county hurling in 2021, Maher has been involved in the fitness industry, running classes as Leap Fitness in Borrisoleigh.
Mr Maher became a dad in 2024 with the arrival of his son, Hugo, with his wife, former Miss Ireland Aoife Hannon. The couple welcomed their second child together in December of last year, a little girl called Amelia Mae.
His wife, Aoife Hannon, runs online pilates classes through her business, The Pilates Programme.