Bassenthwaite Lakeside Lodges, a 56-unit caravan park in the Lake District, has submitted a planning application to the Lake District National Park authority for the addition of an outdoor sauna pod. The proposal was registered on January 29, 2026, and seeks to diversify the amenities available to holidaymakers at the park.
The proposed location for the sauna pod is a 48-square-metre area within the woodland setting of the park, adjacent to one of the lakeside caravans and opposite the park’s reception building.
The plan calls for a Lukus ThermoZen M four-person outdoor sauna pod to be installed on a timber-framed support structure, with timber decking at the front and side facing the lake. The structure would have a footprint of approximately 8.91 square metres and dimensions of 2.05 metres wide, 1.6 metres deep, and 2.1 metres high.
A Planning Design and Access Statement submitted by Wessex Planning Ltd noted that the sauna would “further diversify the offering of the park to its occupants.” The document stated that the proposal’s visual impact would be limited to the immediate area, and it would be “virtually invisible from wider, panoramic view points.”
According to a report published by News & Star, the planning statement also highlighted that the addition would be consistent with the tourism role of the Lake District National Park, while maintaining the area’s landscape character.
“The site is visually contained and panoramic fell views will remain unaffected, the proposal would support enjoyment of the National Park, the proposals would conserve tranquillity and dark skies, and the proposals support recreation,” the document said.
For outdoor hospitality operators, this development illustrates how parks can enhance guest experiences through small-scale amenity additions without substantially altering the surrounding environment. The case also reflects the importance of planning compliance and landscape considerations when implementing site enhancements.