Traffic and environmental concerns have been raised over plans for a huge new health club next to a dual carriageway.

David Lloyd Leisure wants to build its third site in Kent on Waterbrook Park in Ashford which it says will create up to 100 new jobs.

It is looking to build the luxury facility featuring three tennis courts, four swimming pools and a spa on a patch of land, just off the A2070 Bad Munstereifel Road.

But having reviewed the plans, Kent Highways is worried about the impact it could have on the road network, particularly the new four-way traffic light junction and the roundabout at Waterbrook Avenue and Arrowhead Way.

The former roundabout on the A2070 was replaced with the new traffic lights as part of a road improvement scheme named “Bellamy Gurner”.

Work to redesign the junction took more than a year to complete after several delays kept pushing back the completion.

In a letter to health club bosses, the director of Highways and Transportation at Kent County Council (KCC) explained there is “likely to be a significant increase in vehicle movements” and “therefore junction capacity assessments are required” before any decisions can be made.

The site would be served by 248 parking spaces, including 10 disabled and four parent and child spaces and bosses say it would create between 70 and 100 full and part-time jobs.

But Kent Highways has also found issues with the fact no electric vehicle charging points or motorcycle spaces have been included in the proposals.

As well as this, it has also asked for the number of disabled parking bays to be upped from 10 to 14.

The letter added: “Twenty-five active electric vehicle charging points are required with the rest of the parking spaces having passive provision.

“No details of motorcycle parking provision have been provided. A total of 13 motorcycle parking spaces are required.”

Questions have also been raised over how the development will impact wildlife living in a pond on the corner of the site as it has not been included in any of the CGIs as part of the designs submitted to Ashford Borough Council (ABC).

Cllr Paul Bartlett (Con) ward member for Mersham, Sevington South with Finberry at ABC said this is something that needs addressing.

“I'm very pleased a derelict site is being brought back into use and I'm pleased a business as reputable as David Lloyd wants to invest in Ashford,” he explained.

“But I want to make sure all of the ecological concerns with this site are properly addressed because there are a number of rare birds that have been spotted.

“We need to make sure developer David Lloyd has taken that into account and isn't doing anything that will create environmental harm.

“So with all that in mind, it is a cautious welcome.

“There is a lot of work to be done and I'm confident KCC will address all the issues.”

No bus routes currently serve Waterbrook Park meaning the majority of visitors would have to rely on cars to get there.

As a result, David Lloyd Club has been advised by Kent Highways to speak to bus operator Stagecoach about improving provisions as the nearest bus stop is almost 400 yards away on Monument Way.

Plans submitted to ABC by Lichfields, on behalf of David Lloyd and GSE Commercial Estates, show the “premium” sports facility would also include six padel courts, a multi-use court, gym, two sports halls and a children's activity area.

Among the four swimming pools these would include a five-lane indoor pool, a learner pool, a 25-metre outdoor pool and a children's facility.

The club would also come with a lounge where food and drink would be served.

An inflatable air dome is proposed to cover the three tennis courts, allowing people to play the sport all year round and in all weather conditions.

It is also set to include a Battle Box facility - a black shipping container full of the equipment needed for full-body, high-energy fitness training sessions.

If approved, the leisure club would join two other David Lloyd facilities in Kent - Kings Hill near Maidstone and Dartford.

It is not yet clear how much membership fees will cost but in Dartford, prices start from £139 a month.

Documents show the leisure club would take over part of the land previously set aside for a huge Amazon distribution centre.

It was approved in 2021, but last year bosses confirmed they were no longer looking to pursue the development and the land was put back on the market.

The David Lloyd Club is just one of many developments looking to move into Waterbrook Park, which is already home to a Barretts Land Rover dealership and the Ashford International Truckstop.

German supermarket chain Aldi was granted planning permission in November 2022 for its second supermarket in Ashford.

But a condition imposed by ABC means contractors cannot start work until progress is made on a separate convenience store on the nearby Finberry housing estate.

The discount retailer launched a petition against the move as it fears Finberry residents "will continue to have no local food store for several years".

A new Taco Bell drive-thru is also earmarked to open, as well as the town’s fourth KFC, but plans are yet to be approved.

A total of 364 homes on the former truckstop site on Waterbrook Park were given the green light in December.

A convenience store, farm shop or cafe will be built in the middle of the estate next to a new roundabout.

Find out about planning applications that affect you by visiting the Public Notice Portal.

A decision on the David Lloyd application will be made by planning officers at ABC.

David Lloyd Clubs has been approached for comment.