Plans have been submitted to build a community sauna for up to 200 daily visitors on the site of a former caravan plot in Crystal Palace Park. The facility would feature four different saunas, including one with disabled access, as well as plunge pools, showers, changing cubicles, a therapies space, and a counter serving refreshments.
Crystal Palace Park Trust and Community Sauna Baths, the groups jointly proposing the development, said the sauna would deliver health and social benefits for residents in the south London neighbourhood. Community Sauna Baths, a London-based not-for-profit group, already runs sites in Camberwell, Hackney Wick, Peckham, Stratford, and Walthamstow. Another site in Stoke Newington, north east London, was approved earlier this month.
Location and Planning Application
The sauna and office space would be built on part of the former Caravan and Motorhome Club site at the northernmost corner of the park, near the transmitting station tower. The application to Bromley Council also includes a bid to build an office for the trust to manage day-to-day operations of the park.
In planning documents submitted to the council, the applicants said: “The mental and physical health benefits of saunas combined with accessible pricing creates a community health asset. Attending a community sauna can help combat isolation and loneliness and is used by those who would not have the financial means to visit other saunas. There are many other health benefits of regular sauna and cold plunge use and it is used to ease symptoms of many chronic health conditions.”
Operating Details and Pricing
The application seeks planning permission for the sauna to operate for a period of five years, with all elements of the proposed structure designed to be temporary and easily removable. It would be located next to the Rockhills Residential development site, where 202 homes are currently planned.
If approved, the community sauna would be open to the public from 7am to 10pm, seven days a week, with a half-day closure once a week for maintenance. It would accommodate up to 50 people at a time, but Community Sauna Baths anticipates 200 visitors a day. Prices for an hour session typically cost £12 for standard and £6 for concessions. Community Sauna Baths also offers free sessions to local health and community groups.
Park Trust Background
Crystal Palace Park Trust has been the custodian of Crystal Palace Park since 2023, taking over responsibility from Bromley Council. The trust has grown rapidly over three years and now has 26 staff, 21 of whom work full time. It has been told it must vacate its current home in the Crystal Palace National Sports Centre ahead of the centre’s £130 million upgrade.
The office included as part of the planning application would be located within a temporary cabin-type structure with a total floor area of 188 square metres.
