Outdoor beach sauna plans refused over impact on ‘quiet and secluded’ area

Bruce Sinclair, Local Democracy Reporter

An outdoor sauna planned for a popular seaside resort has been refused after planners said it would introduce a commercial use into a “quiet and secluded” part of the beach.

The mobile sauna was proposed for the northern end of Tenby’s North Beach, on a raised concrete area above the breakwater wall and slipway.

Tenby-based David Jones had applied to Pembrokeshire Coast National Park for permission to site the unit on privately owned land forming part of the Park Hotel estate.

The site, below the Park Hotel on North Cliff, has most recently been used by a paddleboard tour and rental business and has also been used to store watercraft and other recreational beach equipment.

A statement submitted with the application said the business hoped to provide a year-round sauna with direct access to the sea.

It said: “We aim to provide a close to nature sauna experience and in so doing make sauna culture’s physical, mental, and social health benefits accessible to the local community and its visiting guests.

“We aim to operate a year-round service that offers an immersive and nuanced experience that only nature and the changing seasons can provide.

“We aim to provide a sauna service set within a natural setting with direct access for sea bathing as an integral part of the sauna experience. We aim to provide an experience with a low environmental impact and high physical, mental and social gains.”

However, national park planning officers concluded the proposed location was unsuitable because of its impact on the Tenby Conservation Area.

An officer report said: “It is considered by officers that the proposal would negatively impact the Tenby Conservation Area by proposing a commercial element in a quiet and secluded part of Tenby North Beach.

“The contrast between both ends of North Beach is notable, and whilst the proposed use may be regarded as acceptable in principle; the location is not considered acceptable.”

The report added: “As previously mentioned, the proposed site is currently recognised as a quiet and secluded area of Tenby, which lacks the presence of commercial enterprises.

“The proposed sauna and associated buildings are considered to detract from these elements and would, in turn, negatively alter the character of the Tenby Conservation Area and the immediate site.”

‘Refusal’

The decision follows the refusal of another application for a permanent outdoor sauna elsewhere on the Pembrokeshire coast.

In June 2024, Hwyl Outdoor Sauna was granted temporary two-year permission for a mobile wood-fired sauna overlooking the sea at Saundersfoot Harbour.

Owner Kerry Evans subsequently applied to make the sauna’s location permanent, but the national park’s development management committee refused the application in July following an officer recommendation.

Councillors expressed regret at refusing the Saundersfoot proposal and indicated they hoped a suitable alternative location could be found within the harbour area.

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