Nordic Urban has unveiled plans to turn the Grade II listed Mount Stuart Graving Docks at Cardiff Bay into a £17m Nordic baths and sauna facility.
The company intends to submit a planning application next month to transform the Victorian dry docks into a year-round outdoor bathing and sauna destination – the first of at least five the Finnish company intends to build in the UK and Ireland.
The Allas Pool Cardiff scheme will comprise a 2,000 sq m complex built around a 25m heated outdoor swimming pool alongside hot and cold pools, four saunas, changing and relaxation facilities, a restaurant and cafe and outdoor terraces looking out over the water.
The baths will be open to the public all year and the terraces and the waterside walk around the dock will remain open to everyone without an admission charge, bringing a stretch of the Cardiff Bay dockside back into public use.
Nordic Urban has an agreement with Cardiff Council for a long-term lease of the site, which will be completed once planning permission is in place. Construction is expected to take around two years from the point permission is granted.
Raoul Grünstein, CEO of Nordic Urban, said: “Cardiff Bay has one of the most striking industrial waterfronts anywhere in Britain, and these docks have stood empty for decades. Our plan keeps the dock and its structures intact and puts them back into everyday use for local people to enjoy. Our aim is to play a role in revitalising the waterfront and create a development where people can swim, sit in a sauna, eat and meet by the water, open all year and open to everyone. We believe this will be a real asset to Cardiff for years to come.”
The project team includes GROSS.MAX, a UK-based landscape architecture practice and SPACE & PLACE.
