Victoria Point gym to close its doors

Victoria Point gym to close its doors

The YMCA will close its branch at the troubled Victoria Point building in May.

The building’s owner Victoria Point Joint Venture (VPJV) is currently locked in a bitter legal dispute with the building’s owner’s corporation (OC) over unpaid gym and pool levies.

While the YMCA has no involvement in the dispute or legal proceedings, the organisation has decided to prematurely end it’s 20-year agreement with VPJV after just 10 years.

In October last year VPJV locked residents out of the YMCA-operated pool and gym it owns.

VPJV said the OC had failed to pay for resident’s use of the facilities for more than 12 months, amounting to a six-figure debt, and filed Supreme Court action against the OC to recover the alleged unpaid fees.

But the OC said it couldn’t continue to pay the gym and pool levy because doing so would be a breach of the Owners’ Corporation Act.

According to the OC, the developer of the building entered into the levy agreement without authority from owners to do so, making it invalid.

Victoria Point OC chair Ilana Kempler last month told Docklands News the case had been temporarily adjourned.

YMCA manager Andrew Ward said following the Victoria Point closure the gym would continue to operate solely from its ANZ site.

Mr Ward said the organisation had a 20-year agreement with landlord Victoria Point Joint Venture (VPJV), with the option to renew every five years.

Mr Ward said after 10 years at the site the organisation had decided not to renew its lease.

He said the fact YMCA had two sites operating within close proximity was something that was considered when making the decision.

“For us the long-term plan is to have a presence in Docklands but we don’t require two facilities,” Mr Ward said.

“It’s mostly a business decision,” Mr Ward said. However, he conceded there had been some operating challenges involved with running a gym in a residential building.

The Victoria Point gym will close on May 31.

YMCA is currently five years into a 20-year lease at ANZ, which Mr Ward said the organisation intended to see out.

“We remain heavily committed to Docklands,” Mr Ward said.

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