logo
Inverness park sauna plan recommended for approval

Inverness park sauna plan recommended for approval

Yahoo19-06-2025
Councillors have been asked to approve plans for a 26-seat electric community sauna in an Inverness public park.
Community Sauna Highland's proposal for Bellfield Park, which is in a residential area on the city's riverside, includes a cold plunge pool and changing room.
Highland Council has received 12 objections and 13 messages of support to the plans.
Officials at the local authority have recommended that next week's south planning applications committee grant full planning permission, but with conditions.
They include restrictions on noise and a requirement that a member of staff is at the site at all times when open.
More stories from the Highlands and Islands
News from the Highlands and Islands on BBC Sounds
Among objectors' concerns were a lack of parking at the park and noise from visitors.
People supporting the application said it would help bring the community together and improve an "unsightly" corner of the park.
In a report to the committee, officials said the sauna would be screened from view by hedges and there were no plans for music or alcohol to be permitted.
Sauna bathing is described as a form of therapy that takes place in a room usually heated by burning wood or electricity.
It is popular in parts of northern Europe including Finland, Sweden and Germany.
Bellfield Park, on Inverness's Riverside area, already has tennis courts and a council-maintained children's play area.
Community sauna proposed for city centre park
Highland Council
Community Sauna Highland
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

East Lothian residents fear glamping pods could put local water supply at risk
East Lothian residents fear glamping pods could put local water supply at risk

Yahoo

time5 hours ago

  • Yahoo

East Lothian residents fear glamping pods could put local water supply at risk

Plans to convert a horse field into a new site for glamping will go before councillors next week after nearly 100 objections were lodged. Concerns over the impact of the new venture on p ublic health as well as the countryside itself, were raised by local residents, who said the pods could contaminate the local water supply. Despite this, East Lothian planning officers are recommending the plans are approved. READ MORE: Edinburgh braced for thunderstorms as Met Office issues warning amid heatwave READ MORE: Edinburgh tanning salon given final warning over noise complaints The application by Ltd, has now been called in to be decided at a meeting of Ethe council's planning committee next week by Councillor George McGuire. A report to members says Councillor McGuire Said: "Given the large number of objections and concerns raised against these proposals, I feel it is worthy of further consideration by the full planning committee." The application is for a change of use of the horse field, which is next to Boggs Holding, near Pencaitland, to allow six glamping pods to be placed on the site. The applicants says the timber clad pods will be used for short term holiday lets. Officers said they received 35 individual objections as well as an objection from Boggs Community Association which is signed by 62 people. The objectors raised concerns about a lack of public transport to the site, its impact on the landscape and wildlife and on local residents with claims a lack of drainage plans on the site could lead to the local water supply being affected. Planning officers recommended the application for approval saying it was 'compatible' with the surrounding area. They said: "The principle of the proposed land use is considered to be acceptable in this location, and the design of the proposal has no unacceptable impact on the landscape character and natural environment. "The proposed use and scale of development is compatible with the adjoining land uses." The committee will meet to discuss the application at a meeting next Tuesday. Join Edinburgh Live's Whatsapp Community her e and get the latest news sent straight to your messages.

Whiskey Of The Week: I.W. Harper 34 Year Old Bourbon
Whiskey Of The Week: I.W. Harper 34 Year Old Bourbon

Forbes

timea day ago

  • Forbes

Whiskey Of The Week: I.W. Harper 34 Year Old Bourbon

You won't find many bourbons aged 20 years or longer. 25-year-old bourbons are almost unheard of. And 30-plus year old bourbons are vanishingly rare. The climate in Kentucky, where the vast majority of bourbon is made, is simply not conducive to aging whiskey that long. Unlike Scotland, which basically has cold and crappy weather year-round (and plenty of long-aged whiskies to show for it), Kentucky can have blazingly hot summers and icy winters. Those seasonal variations accelerate barrel aging, pushing the liquid into the wood and pulling it back out. The fact that bourbon must be aged in new charred American oak (Scotch is typically aged in previously used barrels) also means it gets more of the tannins that, when whiskey ages too long, wind up imparting a lot of heat and astringency to the finished product. And yet... many a booze collector mistakenly assumes that older is always better, and is willing to pay a steeper price for a higher number next to the age statement. Which, in general, makes collecting and flipping extra-aged whiskeys more pleasant than drinking them. I still remember the first time I tasted a 30-plus year old bourbon, more than a decade ago. A friend in the industry had a small flask of it and offered me a taste. It was, the saying goes, like licking an oak stave — an oak stave coated with black pepper, no less. 'Yeah, it's pretty terrible,' he admitted. That very bourbon now sells for tens of thousands of dollars on the secondary market, and I wonder if a single one of the (very few) bottles produced has ever been opened and tasted. Say what you will about a bourbon this old, the bottle is gorgeous. Photo courtesy of Diageo When I was recently offered a taste of a 34-year-old I.W. Harper bourbon, distilled in 1989, I didn't say no, but I certainly didn't have high expectations. My skepticism grew when I heard the eleven bottles' worth of whiskey produced were harvested from four damn near completely evaporated barrels. They may have been selected and deemed worthy of bottling by Nicole Austin, longtime distiller/distillery manager and currently Director of American Whiskey Development and Capabilities (DAWDAC for short) for spirits behemoth (and I.W. Harper's parent company) Diageo. But my respect for her didn't change my opinion. I merely wanted to try it for the same reason George Mallory wanted to climb Mount Everest — because it was there. Much to my surprise, I.W. Harper 34 Year Old Bourbon is... drinkable. Not amazing, but better than it has any right to be, given its circumstances. Oaky as hell, yes, but not chewing-tree-bark oaky. I got a ton of menthol and gentian on the palate; my host for the tasting, Zev Glesta of Sotheby's (more on them shortly), tasted 'horseradish and overripe cantaloupe.' At 63.1% ABV, this is no pinky-in-the-air refined sipper — it's more a hold-onto-your-hat, try-to-enjoy-the-ride bourbon. But like I said, it's not bad. And after I left a couple of sips' worth in my glass for an hour or so, it opened up quite a bit. The gentian notes I originally got were more like root beer, and the alcohol's bite was not quite as sharp. The bourbon's provenance is a bit of a mystery — it was aged at the famed Stitzel-Weller distillery, which ceased operations in the early 1990s, but it was not distilled there. Educated guessers think it may be from the Bernheim distillery, but that hasn't been confirmed or denied. The five bottles for sale (I don't know what will become of the other six) were auctioned by Sotheby's — all fetched in excess of $10,000, well above the pre-auction estimates. The project is a collaboration with famed actor/director/philanthropist Colman Domingo, with proceeds going to Native Son, described by Sotheby's as 'a platform dedicated to empowering Black queer excellence through visibility, leadership development and community-building initiatives.' The package, which includes bespoke labels, a silk scarf, and a paper ruff that goes around the neck of the bottle, explores the theme of Black dandyism and is unequivocally stunning. In the end, a 34-year-old bourbon is a curiosity more than a serious sipper. But it's for charity — and for bragging rights, too. Owning one of 11 of damn near anything is pretty cool. Who knows if any of the proud owners of a bottle will ever actually open theirs. But that's what I'm here for — I tasted it so they don't have to. And I'm always happy to provide that sort of assistance.

Firefighters remain at scene of Arthur's Seat blaze
Firefighters remain at scene of Arthur's Seat blaze

Yahoo

timea day ago

  • Yahoo

Firefighters remain at scene of Arthur's Seat blaze

Firefighters remain at the scene of a gorse blaze on Arthur's Seat in Edinburgh which broke out more than 40 hours ago. Emergency services were called to the scene at around 4.05pm on Sunday. Four fire engines and specialist resources attended and two remained there on Monday. One fire engine was still at the scene late on Tuesday morning damping down any hotspots. The Scottish Fire and Rescue Service has said most fires of this nature are started by human behaviour. There were no reports of any casualties.

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store