A SAUNA building with ice baths for a 'unique outdoor wellbeing experience' will be built if plans are approved by Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council.

Chilton Manor Farm, in Chilton Candover, has submitted an application to build a timber sauna building in the countryside made out of sustainable materials.

The family-owned farm says the building will 'provide a small amount of local employment whilst providing an opportunity for guests to enjoy the natural beauty of the surrounding area'.

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The six-person sauna will be available to hire for individual and corporate clients according to the application, with residents able to purchase membership plans and 'wellness experiences' which will combine the sauna experience with yoga, pilates or Nordic Walking.

The site is located in the Chilton Candover conservation area, meaning planning officers must pay 'particular attention' to the scale, height, form, and materials of proposals.

A Grade II listed building is also situated on the farm, the Buried Church of St Nicholas. The crypt is all that remains of the church, which was built by the Normans around 1100.

The farmhouse is also Grade II listed, as it dates from the 17th century, with 18th and 19th-century alterations. The building is constructed of colour-washed brick, flint and a 'steeply-pitched, hipped slate roof'.

The application states: "The farm complex to the south contains a number of Listed buildings, but the site itself is well outside of the curtilage of those buildings."

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Customers of the sauna will park by the farm's offices, where there are toilets and changing facilities, before being guided to the building by a staff member as the 'walk up to the building through the open countryside will be part of the wellbeing experience'.

The saunas will be provided by the wellbeing company Wildhut, which provides high-end luxury sauna cabins to help people 'harness the healing power of nature to live happier, healthier lives'.

The experience, named The Candover Valley Sauna 'is poised to tap into the growing sauna culture by focusing on quality, customer experience and effective marketing', the application concludes.

To view the application, search 24/02335/FUL on the Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council planning portal.