Gym owner fined for breaching Covid regs

A gym owner who was fined for refusing to shut during lockdown in 2020 must pay nearly £5,000 for breaching his licence by opening 24 hours a day.

Andreas Michli, 36, ignored warnings from Haringey Council and kept Zone Gym open between the hours of 10pm and 8am, from November 27, 2020 until September 10, 2021.

Neighbours had complained about being awoken by noise and car headlights shining into their flats.

In November 2020 Michli racked up £77,000 in fines for refusing to close the gym during lockdown and police took to standing guard outside the gates to refuse people entry.

Chloe Hucker, representing Haringey Council, said: ‘In August 2020 the council received a complaint about Zone Gym operating outside of its hours.

‘The director was written to and told he must submit a planning application detailing how he could minimise noise to neighbours.

‘In October 2020 the council received further complaints and on the 22nd the council issued a breach of conditions notice.’

Michli did submit a planning application but he carried on opening overnight despite being told that he must close while the application was ongoing.

The gym had breached these conditions hundreds of times, with neighbours complaining about being woken up by people congregating in the carpark speaking loudly and car headlights shining in their flats.

Lucinda Nicholls, defending Michli in his absence, said: ‘This only came to the attention of the council because of the pandemic.

‘The government guidelines say it should be a swift process but unfortunately it was an extended period of time and that was refused in April 2021 when the gym was still closed.

‘He submitted an appeal and that response only came about this year.

‘One of the issues was about signs and noise. Another issue was about the fire escape in relation to noise but that is now permanently closed with a sign saying only open in an emergency.

‘He also has signs saying keep the noise down and he has engaged with local neighbours asking what he can do to assist the neighbourhood to progress these issues in a meaningful way.

‘This isn’t somebody who is flagrantly breaching the conditions not thinking there is a problem.

‘This is somebody going through the process, receiving bad legal advice and when the application to vary the conditions were refused he appealed.

‘He is actively trying to change things.’

Michli, of Coburg Road, Wood Green, admitted failing to comply with a breach of condition notice.

He was fined £2,250 and District Judge Denis Brennan also ordered him to pay £2,500 in prosecution costs and a surcharge of £190.

‘Mr Michli has been prosecuted for failing to comply with the terms in which he was allowed to operate his gym,’ said Judge Brennan.

‘I’m told it is a long-standing gym and it was during the lockdown period.

‘He operated in conditions that disturbed very much the local community, complaints were undoubtedly made to him and to the local authority.

‘The local authority raised these complaints to him and he carried on regardless. I understand why, he did so for profit.

‘When everyone else was suffering he continued to operate in order to make money.’
ends