Neighbours left hot and bothered, after Bristol sauna opens without planning consent
Residents complain about noise and a loss of privacy
A new sauna has left its neighbours hot and bothered after opening last year without getting planning permission. The Bristol Sauna Yard operates from behind a block of studio flats on Church Road in Redfield despite Bristol City Council refusing to grant planning permission.
Residents living in Church Road Studios and the nearby Lacie Court have complained about the noise and loss of privacy from the sauna next to their homes, like with customers screaming in cold plunge pools. They have called on the council’s planning enforcement team to take action.
Responding to the complaints, the Bristol Sauna Yard said they were community focused and have already made changes, like switching from wood-fired saunas to electric. The firm will apply for planning permission a second time, taking on board the previous reasons for refusal.
One resident, who asked not to be named, said: “I work from home and it’s a constant distraction with their customers coming in and making noise, especially on the weekend. It’s just been a nuisance. The worst thing is that we weren’t made aware, it just happened. We just got a letter from the sauna just basically introducing themselves.”
They added that the council’s enforcement team has promised to send somebody to investigate, but has not heard anything back since then. The council was asked to comment. The lack of enforcement comes in a wider context with a short-staffed team saying a third of complaints were not prudent to check, and a gym in Fishponds also operating without planning permission.
As well as the noise, residents have complained that the sauna’s customers must come through their locked front gate to access the site, and then a path around the side of the building. Some customers have mistakenly entered the block of flats in swimwear, asking where the toilet is.
Other complaints include customers peering through windows into the building. The sauna applied for planning permission in November last year, which was rejected by the council due to the impact on living conditions of the neighbours, loss of privacy and noise disturbances.
The family-run firm then appealed to the government’s Planning Inspectorate, who sided with the council. The Bristol Sauna Yard now says the “planning position needs to be resolved” and have already taken steps to reduce the impact on neighbours. They no longer burn wood to heat the water, after complaints about smoke and air pollution.
Robbie Wallace, from the Bristol Sauna Yard, said: “Bristol Sauna Yard is a family-run, community-focused wellness space on Church Road, offering sauna and cold-water therapy to people across BS5. At its core, it is a peaceful and tranquil activity where people come to slow down, breathe and genuinely relax.
“Since opening, we have been proud of the impact the facility has had on people’s mental health and wellbeing...we have over 80 five-star Google reviews and most of our customers live within walking distance of the site.
“We have already taken practical steps to reduce the potential impact of the operation, including converting entirely to electric heating, removing wood smoke from the site and installing privacy screening. We are also reviewing the operation and layout in light of the points raised by the Planning Inspectorate and intend to submit a further planning application.”
This mirrors what happened with the Kulture Training Club in Fishponds, where the gym was refused planning permission. The council’s planning department told them to apply for a second time for planning permission, but refused permission again in February this year — and it’s still open.
Mr Wallace added: “We take the concerns raised by neighbouring residents seriously and are committed to working constructively with Bristol City Council and our neighbours to find a long-term solution.
“At the same time, we believe it is important that the nature of the facility is accurately understood: it is a small, pre-booked and supervised wellness facility, rather than a conventional leisure or entertainment venue.”