Plans approved for new sauna in south Wales

A city council has approved plans for a sauna at a creative business hub that offers a mix of artist studios, office spaces and maker cabins.

Cardiff Council gave planning permission on 4 February for the sauna at Meanwhile House on Williams Way, near the Curran Embankment.

The sauna will not be an extension of the building, but a moveable timber pod at the back of the property in “unused space”.

The application, lodged by STa Architecture, reads: “The space will comprise three sauna pods, three ice baths, and associated shower and changing areas.”

A maximum capacity for the sauna is given as accommodating around 40 people per hour.

Planning documents also outline that there will be a “low impact” in terms of noise and disturbance, this is due to it being a “wellbeing-focused leisure facility”.

The planning officer’s report details that due to the development being an “urban sauna”, “demountable in nature”, that it would bring unused land into “beneficial use” and that a sauna would be “complementary in nature” to Meanwhile House’s use of an artist’s hub, the development is considered acceptable.

A green infrastructure statement submitted with the application reads: “As the site is currently unused and of low ecological value, the proposed development is expected to have a positive overall impact.”

It continues: “The urban sauna space will be constructed predominantly using composite decking laid above the existing ground level, ensuring there is minimal to existing soils and no adverse effect on surface-water runoff patterns.”

The sauna space’s moveable nature will allow “flexibility of use” and will minimise “permanent land take”.

Other structures in the space, including changing rooms and small cabins, will be built from “lightweight timber-frame structures”, which will reduce their footprint and environmental impact.

The proposal is described as introducing “an active and managed use to an otherwise dormant site”.

The application reads: “The scheme supports the principles of green infrastructure and delivers modest but meaningful biodiversity enhancements.”

It continues: “Overall, the proposal represents a positive and sustainable addition to the Meanwhile House environment and the wider urban setting.”