A town is set for a huge new luxury health and fitness complex as plans for its first McDonald’s restaurant were deemed “not viable”.

Permission was initially given for the fast-food giant to set up shop in Herne Bay’s Altira Business Park in October last year.

But David Lloyd Leisure, which charges monthly membership fees starting from £139 elsewhere in Kent, unexpectedly launched a planning bid for the same site earlier this year.

Canterbury City Council’s (CCC) planning committee approved plans for the state-of-the-art gym at a meeting on Tuesday, when it was also revealed the drive-thru and retail units previously approved have now been deemed unviable.

In official planning papers, the national leisure chain set out plans to roll out “a new leisure club, a tennis court enclosure, external pool, terrace areas and external sports facilities”.

Planning officers - who recommended the scheme for approval - described the application as an “acceptable departure from the local plan” during the meeting.

The specific area of the Altira Business Park - owned by developers Kitewood - is meant to be allocated for other types of commercial use - hence the previous permission for McDonald’s.

Andrea Macgregor Barbour, acting as an agent for the developers, stressed to the committee: “David Lloyd Leisure identified Herne Bay as a target market and have been searching for a suitable site for some time.”

The “premium lifestyle operator” has 133 clubs, of which 104 are in Britain and Ireland, she explained.

“No suitable sites have been identified in the town centre or edge of centre.

Both the agent and the officers reported noted a “lack of health and fitness facilities” in the town centre.

However, the David Lloyd will in fact be Herne Bay’s sixth gym - with one, Snap Fitness, in the immediate vicinity next to Sainsbury’s, close to where the David Lloyd club is proposed.

The plans received a warm reception, with Cllr Ian Stockley (Con), saying: “Personally I’m delighted that David Lloyd propose to develop this site, I think that it fits very nicely into what is planned for the area including the large number of new homes.

“It demonstrates in my opinion a confidence in the area which to date has been lacking to be honest.

“This is a substantial investment and I hope that we can move forward and support it.”

Cllr Keith Bothwell (Green) said he supports the idea of a gym but raised environmental concerns.

“It doesn’t seem to address environmental issues at all seriously bearing in mind that we declared a climate emergency and then a biodiversity emergency last year.

“The whole roof could be green with extensive planting, they could think of growing plants up the wall,” he said.

However, a planning officer noted the planned building has solar panels on the roof, and it does comply with council policy on environmental matters.

When permission was given for the McDonald’s at the same site last year, councillors raised concerns the business park could become a “circuit for boy racers,” and the bid received 29 objections from residents fearing more traffic on the busy A299.

However, at the meeting on Tuesday night, a council officer explained: “This application if approved does mean that the McDonalds can’t be built on this site.

“It’s the same application site as last year, so the retail units and the drive-thru restaurant wouldn’t be built if this was approved and built.

“My understanding is it’s not viable to build that which is why this application has now come forward.”

As part of the McDonald’s bid, permission was also given for a builders’ merchant - which could still be built, as the land for that does not feature in David Lloyd’s application.

“It’s my understanding that they're not going forward with the approved scheme [for a McDonald’s],” the officer added.

The application was approved, with 12 votes in favour, one against and one abstention.

David Lloyd already has two Kent sites - one in Dartford and one in Kings Hill.

Another is set to be built on the abandoned Waterbrook Park in Ashford - a location previously earmarked for an Amazon warehouse.

It is not yet clear how much membership fees will cost at the Herne Bay facility, but in Dartford, prices start from £139 a month, rising to £219 per month for the ‘diamond package’ which includes access to all facilities.

Kitewood and McDonald’s have been approached for comment.