Wollongong council is introducing a license fee for fitness operators in the city’s public parks and beaches.
Under the licensing structure, commercial fitness groups would be limited to 18 participants per instructor and operators will be assigned specific areas and times for use.
Areas that have been identified for fitness operators use so far include areas at Stuart Park, Flagstaff Hill and Lang Park.
Group exercises in the public parks and beaches increased the wear and tear on the public facilities, especially when you have all these people doing step-ups on the park benches and running around on the grass every morning. Hence the fee makes sense as it is used for the maintaining of these public places.
However it’s not helping with promoting a healthy lifestyle as the fees will inevitable be passed on to the clients. Fitness operators might also try to increase their group numbers in order to cover the cost which might lead to a decrease in quality in the training.