Beach sauna debate heats up over flood risk

The future of a beach sauna in a Devon village remains uncertain after a heated planning debate about flood risk.

Jurassic Saunas had asked for retrospective permission to site its beach sauna on Branscombe beach, but after a nearly 90-minute debate, planners opted to defer a decision.
A key issue that led to the discussion heating up related to flood risk, and concerns about the quality of a flood risk assessment and an evacuation plan in the event of flooding occurring.
East Devon District Council’s planning committee heard that while there was public support for the sauna, there were worries about its location as well as a belief that “serious risks” had not been properly assessed.
“While we are supportive in principle, there are serious concerns for the people using it, operating it and for the emergency services who may be called on to rescue people [in a flooding event],” the council’s senior planning officer Andrew Digby said.
“There are significant concerns and these, in our view, outweigh the benefits.”
The sauna application had 90 comments in support, but its location in flood risk zone 2, which is surrounded by an area in flood risk zone 3, meant the council was recommending refusal.
Both parish and district councillors for Branscombe spoke in support of the sauna, with Cllr Mike Pellatt of Branscome Parish Council, contradicted the assertion by planning officers that the sauna “introduced” commercial activity to that part of the beach.
“There has been small-scale commercial activity for many decades, with fishing boats and associated infrastructure,” he said.
“And pedaloes were rented previously too, so this sauna continues a long history of small-scale, low-impact commercial activity on Branscombe beach which supports our sole economic driver, which is tourism,” he said.
He added he felt the Environment Agency’s suggestion that the “risk to life… cannot be mitigated” was an “extremely strong” suggestion, adding that the sauna had secured public liability insurance, meaning “if there was unacceptable risk, this cover would have been refused”.
Mathew Dalton-Aram, the agent for Jurassic Saunas, said the company had tried to locate the sauna in Seaton “but a lack of progression” meant they opted for Branscombe instead.
He added there was existing commercial activity at the beach, and that while the council claimed the sauna “detracted from the natural beauty of the area”, that Jurassic Coast officials had stated it “created no actual or potential threat to the World Heritage Site”.
Mr Dalton-Aram also complained that the application had been submitted in May, yet he had only been asked in recent weeks to submit vital documents so it could be heard at November’s planning committee.
That request for information had come too late to commission flood risk professionals, he said, meaning he had collated the information.
Planning officers claimed the sauna’s current location put it at risk of “unpredictable” river-based flooding, but that there were parts of the beach where it would only be subject to more predictable coastal flooding.
However, local members, including Councillor Ian Barlow (Independent, Sidmouth Rural), said the depth of the river near the sauna meant it would “never get that full” so as to lead to flooding, and given the structure was portable, he thought it should “go ahead”.
Councillor Mike Howe (Independent, Clyst Valley) suggested a deferral, though, and requested a more thorough flood risk assessment and flood evacuation plan.
“I do believe there is a way around this,” he said.
“This needs those certainties, that it is constantly staffed, and maybe during times of usage the vehicle is hooked up to it so it could be removed quickly if needed.
“Maybe part of the flood risk assessment is that the people are rescued but the sauna isn’t so that lives aren’t put in danger, or perhaps it could be removed during storms and pulled back to the car park. Whatever the requirements, I believe there is a way around it.”
The committee voted in favour of deferring a decision with the aim of securing a more thorough flood assessment and evacuation plan from the applicant.