THE OWNER of a Dorchester gym claims lives are being put at risk by a council’s refusal to allow him to extend his car park.

Sean Ferguson, owner of Physiques and Shapes Health Club at The Grove, says the limited parking space currently available is forcing gym users to reverse onto a busy road.

He recently acquired additional land so he could increase the size of the car park and make it safer but a planning application was turned down by West Dorset District Council.

Mr Ferguson, 42, said: “We have got a massive problem with parking because we have a very small car park at the moment and it’s very dangerous.

“Cars have to reverse out into the road because there’s no turning circle or anything and we have had a couple of accidents.

“It’s also dangerous because it has such narrow access and you have got pedestrians coming down.”

Mr Ferguson said he acquired an extra ten feet of land from Magna Housing Association that would have enabled him to extend the car park.

However, planners at West Dorset District Council refused planning permission, citing the fact that there was already other parking available in the area and the impact on the Dorchester Conservation Area.

Mr Ferguson said there were no outside objections to the planning application and claimed the council was ignoring the most serious aspect – the safety of drivers and pedestrians.

He said: “It’s not going to be long before there is a fatal accident.”

He said he had now started a petition supporting the need to extend the car park which has 200 signatures.