Nine new homes are proposed to be built around a unique Finnish sauna that has survived from the 1948 Olympic Games.
The timber-built sauna, which rests in the grounds of Cobdown House in Ditton, has only just been declared a Grade II-listed building following a campaign by the British Sauna Society, which was supported by Chatham and Aylesford MP Tracey Crouch and Finnish ambassador Jukka Siukosaari.
The listing was made by Historic England in January this year.
The building was a gift to the “Austerity Games” by a Finnish company, Puutalo Oy, which specialised in prefabricated buildings, to help the athletes relax.
It was originally sited at the Olympic Village in Richmond Park, London, but when the games concluded, it was given to the Albert Read Paper Mill for the use of their staff as a thank you for letting the Finnish athletes train at the company’s extensive sports facilities at Ditton.
The paper mill was demolished in 2017, but the sauna survives.
Cobdown House is now owned by the business support company, the Advo Group.
The firm has now submitted a planning application to Tonbridge and Malling council seeking permission for nine homes in three sets of three.
They would comprise three of two bedrooms, three of three bedrooms and three of four bedrooms.
The homes would be without garages but would have either one or two parking spaces, complete with a single EV charging point.
The sauna itself will not be directly affected, and its listing in January referred only to the building and its interior – which is largely untouched since the 1940s. It made no reference to the building’s setting.
Cobdown House is a traditional manor house dating from 1856, but it has been in commercial use for many years.
Vehicle access to the new homes would be via the existing access onto Station Road, which is shared by Cobdown House and the K Sports centre.
Six trees, including plum, larch, elm and sweet chestnut, would need to be felled to make way for the building and a further three could have their root structure compromised unless care is taken, but 12 new trees will be planted as mitigation.
The applicant says the development will result in a 132% biodiversity net gain.
The hut is believed to be the oldest surviving sauna in Britain.
The application number for the proposal is 24/00408.
Tonbridge and Malling council does not currently have the statutory required five-year housing level of allocated sites – and so will find it difficult to refuse permission.
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One Ditton resident, who asked not to be named, said: “The sauna is currently set in a quiet and tranquil parkland, but that will be ruined if the landowner is allowed to develop the land.
“The Finnish sauna is a unique feature of the area, and its current setting should be preserved as it is.
“Surely the council should deem Cobdown Park and Cobdown Wood around the sauna to be important green spaces, that should not be developed?”
