A personal trainer who turned his garage into a gym without permission has disrupted the peace and quiet of the residential street, neighbours claim.

The retrospective planning application to convert a garage into a fitness studio in West End has also raised concerns about parking issues.

Danny Thompson applied for retrospective permission to change the use of his garage into a personal gym to offer one-to-one training at Gatcombe Gardens in West End, near Eastleigh.

The application, submitted to Eastleigh Borough Council, has raised concerns among neighbours who have signed a petition against it.

Among the concerns, the application allegedly “misled” when it said it is a gym for one-to-one personal training, since group sessions “are held regularly”.

The petition said: “This activity has caused ongoing noise disturbance that has disrupted the peace and quiet of our residential area and impacted the daily lives of the nearby residents.”

Residents also highlighted that there has been an increase in traffic. As a result, on-street parking has restricted access, creating serious safety concerns for emergency vehicles and causing “inconvenience” for residents and visitors.

They added: “We believe a commercial operation of this nature is wholly inappropriate for a quiet residential street. We respectfully urge the local planning authorities to reject this application and ensure that the use of the premises reflects the character and needs of the surrounding community.”

Mr Richard Matthews said to the council that in the “quiet” residential area, this application is “not acceptable”.

He added that gym users have been parking on pavements, causing visibility issues and making it difficult for pedestrians.

Mr Matthews said: “A commercial gym should not be operating in the garage of a residential property.”

However, 41 comments in support of the application have been received.

Olivia Lin said the gym has been a “well-run”, “positive” addition to the local area, providing “a valuable service for health and wellbeing”.

Mrs Lin added that it operates “responsibly” with “minimal disruption” to neighbours.

Another resident, Ewan Legv, said: “Fantastic to have a facility where people’s physical and mental health can benefit from exercise.”

The borough council is set to make a final decision on application F/25/99109 by June 23.