Cardiff Bay Victorian Dry Docks £17m Sauna Plan Cardiff 2026

Key Points

• Nordic Urban, a Finnish developer of waterfront developments, intends to make a planning application to Cardiff Council in October 2026 for an £17 million all-year round outdoor bathing and sauna center called Allas Pool Cardiff.
• This development would occupy the historic, listed at Grade II, Mount Stuart Graving Docks, in Cardiff Bay, that have been idle and abandoned in decades after commercial shipbuilding had moved out from there.
• There is going on a 28 days pre-application consultation (PAC) now and it runs until October 13, 2026, prior to the planning application being made.
• The complex covering 2,000 sq m would include a 25-meters heated outdoor swimming pool, hot and cold pools, four saunas, changing facilities, relaxation areas, restaurant, café and terraces outdoors.
• This would be an all-year round facility open for use by all and not be limited to members like, for example, a members club. The waterside walkways and terraces around the complex will also be accessible for free.
• There are three specialized architectural design practices involved into this project – OOPEAA as the concept architect from Finland, GROSS.MAX as landscape architects from UK and Space & Place as delivery phase architects.
• It is the first destination that Nordic Urban hopes to create throughout the UK and Ireland, based on the success of their famous Allas Sea Pool in Helsinki.
• Once permission is obtained, the project will take around two years to build, supported by a lease agreement that has already been secured with Cardiff Council.

Cardiff (Cardiff Daily) September 22, 2026 – Plans have been formally unveiled to transform Cardiff Bay’s historic, disused Victorian dry docks into a major £17 million outdoor bathing, sauna, and wellness destination. Spearheaded by Finnish waterfront developer Nordic Urban, the ambitious project—designated as Allas Pool Cardiff—will redevelop the Grade II-listed Mount Stuart Graving Docks into a multi-use public leisure complex. A pre-application consultation phase has been launched, paving the way for an official planning application to be lodged with Cardiff Council in October. If approved, construction on the 2,000 square metre site is anticipated to take roughly two years, breathing new life into a prominent maritime heritage location that has stood empty for decades.

What are the main features of the proposed Allas Pool Cardiff development?

As reported by journalist Helen Andrews of Leisure Opportunities, the £17 million project will centre around a 25-metre heated outdoor swimming pool integrated into a 2,000 square metre complex. According to details outlined by Herald.Wales writer, the development blueprint incorporates hot and cold immersion pools, four distinct saunas, flexible indoor and outdoor changing facilities, and relaxation spaces.

In addition to wellness facilities, the complex will house a restaurant and a café, complemented by outdoor viewing terraces overlooking the water. Writing for BENews, journalist Simon Creasey noted that the facility is designed to remain open to the general public all year round, explicitly avoiding a members’-club-only business model. Furthermore, public access will be protected via waterside walkways and terraces that visitors can enjoy without paying an admission charge, thereby restoring public access to a previously fenced-off portion of the dockside.

Explore more Cardiff Bay News

Wales Most Expensive £1.25m Penthouse Apartment Listed in Cardiff 2026

Llais Festival Returns With Live Music And Global Artists Cardiff 2026

How is the architectural heritage of the site being preserved?

The project brings together a collaborative team of three award-winning specialist architectural and landscape practices. As detailed by building design reports, the Finnish architectural practice OOPEAA has acted as the lead concept architect.

As reported by architectural trade sources, OOPEAA’s design philosophy focuses on retaining the existing historic fabric of the site rather than covering it up. The layout keeps the original late 19th-century dock walls, steps, and structural elements completely intact, working carefully within the physical parameters of the Victorian dry docks to safeguard the maritime heritage of the bay.

Alongside the concept architects, the UK-based landscape architecture practice GROSS.MAX has taken charge of the landscape design elements, while specialist sports and leisure architects Space & Place are slated to lead the physical delivery phase of construction once approvals are secured.

What is the background and future rollout strategy for Nordic Urban?

The Allas Pool Cardiff initiative is modelled directly on the successful urban waterfront concept created by Nordic Urban in the Finnish capital. As covered by construction and property publications, the original Allas Sea Pool opened in central Helsinki in 2017 and has grown into a major cultural and wellness attraction, drawing approximately 800,000 visitors annually.

Commenting on the expansion to South Wales, Raoul Grünstein, Chief Executive Officer of Nordic Urban, stated as reported by Herald.Wales:

“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.”

Mr Grünstein further added, via statements captured by BENews:

“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.”

Beyond the physical pools and saunas, the Helsinki blueprint integrates robust community, cultural, and live music programming to keep the space active during colder and darker months. Developers intend to replicate this community-focused operational model in Cardiff. The Cardiff venture serves as the vanguard project for Nordic Urban’s broader expansion strategy, marking the first of at least five similar destination hubs that the company intends to establish across the United Kingdom and Ireland.

The 28-day pre-application consultation period for local residents, businesses, and stakeholders remains open until October 13, 2026, with feedback gathered during this window slated for review prior to the formal planning submission. Nordic Urban has already finalized a conditional long-term lease agreement with Cardiff Council, which will formally take effect once planning authorization is granted.

Background of the Particular Development

The Mount Stuart Graving Docks represent a significant piece of Cardiff’s rich industrial and maritime heritage, dating back to the late 19th century when Cardiff Bay operated as one of the busiest coal-exporting ports in the world. Commercial shipbuilding and ship-repair operations sustained the docks for decades until activity scaled down and eventually ceased entirely, leading to the closure and abandonment of the dry docks in 2001. Since then, the Victorian basins and surrounding stone structures have remained empty, fenced off from public access, and categorized under Grade II listed status. Over the years, various regeneration proposals for the waterfront have been floated, but none progressed to a comprehensive construction phase. The current intervention by Nordic Urban taps into a wider, contemporary cultural resurgence of open-water swimming, lido restoration, and Scandinavian-style sauna culture across the United Kingdom, presenting a viable model to rescue heritage industrial infrastructure by converting it into sustainable commercial and public leisure spaces.

How This Development Can Affect the Local Community and Visitors

The realization of the Allas Pool Cardiff complex is poised to reshape the recreational and economic landscape of Cardiff Bay for local residents, regular visitors, and tourism stakeholders. By converting an eyesore of industrial dereliction into a vibrant, year-round health and social hub, the project will permanently reintegrate a stretch of the waterfront back into the public realm. For local residents, the inclusion of free-access walking routes, public terraces, and community-centric indoor programming guarantees that the space will function as a shared civic asset rather than an exclusive enclave. Economically, the infusion of a £17 million capital investment is expected to boost footfall for neighboring hospitality and retail businesses throughout the calendar year—mitigating the traditional seasonal lulls associated with waterfront areas. Furthermore, by positioning Cardiff as the premier UK destination for Nordic-style urban bathing, the development stands to draw regional and international tourists, cementing the bay’s reputation as a progressive centre for heritage-led urban regeneration and outdoor leisure.