A fitness instructor is at war with her neighbours in an affluent Dorset parish after setting up a pole dancing studio inside her home.
Samilou Saunders runs the classes out of the converted garage of her £700,000 bungalow in Christchurch, Dorset.
She says people of all ages attend her ‘pole and aerial fitness’ sessions.
Her clients are said to include doctors, accountants, vets, nurses and school teachers who use the sessions to ‘burn off the stresses of work’.
So not to offend her well-to-do neighbours she removed her business logo of the silhouette of an inverted pole dancer from her vehicle.
But her customers claim she has become the victim of ‘generational bias’ after complaints about the business led to her having to submit a retrospective planning application to change the use of the garage.
Several letters of objection have already been lodged with Bournemouth, Christchurch & Poole Council from local residents who claim the studio is having a ‘devastating effect’ on their lives.
They cite noise disturbance from music being played during sessions and parking problems for why the application should be refused.
Samilou Saunders runs the classes out of the converted garage of her £700,000 bungalow in Christchurch, Dorset (Pictured: Samilou)
She says people of all ages attend her ‘pole and aerial fitness’ sessions
Her clients are said to include doctors, accountants, vets, nurses and school teachers who use the sessions to ‘burn off the stresses of work’ (Pictured: Samilou’s house)
Mrs Saunders, who is in her 40s, and her clients say they are very respectful of the neighbourhood and the objections are personally motivated, because people do not want a pole dancing business in the area.
Alan Forage, 83, a retired scientist who lives next door, said he can sometimes hear ‘grunting, chatting and loud music’ during the classes.
He said: ‘We (the residents) are all reasonably old and at our age we just want peace and quiet in a nice area, a quiet life.
‘In the summer when windows are open you hear grunting and loud music and chatting when the pole dancing classes are on.’
Another couple said they were not NIMBYs but do not think pole dancing is in keeping with the area.
They said: ‘This is a relatively quiet area and suddenly we’ve got pole dancers turning up.
‘We’re worried that if they enlarge their business activity they might start doing hen parties and that will affect house prices.’
Other objectors have raised concerns about cars parking on the well-kept grass verges along River Way.
In his letter of objection, neighbour John Thompson said there had been ‘significant disruption’.
Alan Forage, 83, a retired scientist who lives next door, said he can sometimes hear ‘grunting, chatting and loud music’ during the classes
Another couple said they were not NIMBYs but do not think pole dancing is in keeping with the area (Pictured: Samilou)
He wrote: ‘We, the residents, have put up with this intrusion into a totally quiet residential area with a devastating effect on our amenity.
‘We are the people who have experienced the significant disruption from the noise from the pole dancing music and the effect of the parking not only the road but also on our grass verges which we maintain on a regular basis.
‘This application should be rejected and the building brought back in line with the original planning approval, namely construction of an enlarged replacement garage, not an unauthorised pole dancing business in the heart of a quiet residential area.
‘The residents are convinced that additional revenue streams will be implemented such as hen nights, parties, team games.’
Rita Rayner, who lives on River Way, said: ‘That the studio ‘will provide a valuable service to the local community by promoting health and wellness in a controlled, safe environment’ is a bit of a stretch, given that the immediate local community is predominantly made up of people either at or approaching retirement age… not the core demographic for aerial fitness sessions.’
Dorothy and Michael English claim the music was spoiling their enjoyment of their garden.
They wrote: ‘We feel that our home is no longer as enjoyable. We can no longer use the garden freely. Our mental health and wellbeing is being affected.’
Mrs Saunders, who is married with children, is the only employee of the business and generally works about 20 hours a week, with small classes of up to eight people spread across all seven days.
Several letters of objection have already been lodged with Bournemouth, Christchurch & Poole Council from local residents who claim the studio is having a ‘devastating effect’ on their lives
Her application states the opening hours are 9am-9pm Mon-Fri and 9am-12pm Sat-Sun, but the timetable on her website shows there is actually only one or two classes a day during the week, usually at 10am and 6 or 7pm.
She stated the studio has air conditioning so windows and doors are not open during classes and music cannot be heard outside.
Mrs Saunders declined to comment but her customers rubbished the claims neighbours have made about the business.
Amy Cambell said: ‘Sami has removed her business logo from her vehicle so that it does not ‘offend’ her neighbours. She is aware of the generational bias towards this type of fitness.
‘I attend her studio classes, but I am having difficulty identifying the loss of amenities, adverse disturbance or devastating effects the objectors are referring to.’
Client Miranda Joy said: ‘This is a very small business trying to provide a service to local women.
‘All of us that attend are hard-working professionals that need to burn off some stress from our jobs.
‘We are doctors, accountants, cleaners, vets, hairdressers, nurses, shop assistants, window cleaners and teachers, to name a few.’
Dr Gemma Westcott said: ‘Pole is an incredible aerial sport and form of exercise and Samilou’s classes focus on conditioning, flexibility and strength building. Her dedication to teaching, and care for her students, is inspirational.
‘Samilou is extremely conscientious of the neighbours. If I was a resident in the local area, I would not know her studio is there.’
