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Business & Money

Swedish prince in steamy waterside sauna battle

Published: 28 Jun 12 07:51 CET | Print version
Online: http://www.thelocal.se/41694/20120628/

Despite a no from local authorities, Swedish prince Carl Philip is adamant he wants a waterside sauna and his appealing the decision that the project would be in violation of Sweden’s environmental laws.

“We will meet with the court soon and this will be appealed, I can say as much as that,” said Tommy Hansson of the local building contractor firm Helge Hanssons Byggnads AB, which has applied for the dispensation for the prince, to local paper Södermanlands Nyheter.

Carl Philip and his girlfriend, former reality show contestant and glamour model Sofia Hellkvist, have long had their hearts set on a sauna next to the sea at the prince’s inherited country estate Ökenäs near Källvik in Södermanland county, south of Stockholm.

However, in Sweden, environmental laws prohibit anyone to build closer than 100-300 metres near water, safeguarding both animal wildlife and the public right of access.

To circumvent these rules, any would-be builders can apply for a dispensation from local authorities, which will then be considered by the County Administrative Board (Länsstyrelsen).

Trosa municipality first granted the prince dispensation but had to retract the permission after intervention from the Swedish Society for Nature Conservation (SSNC). On Monday, the agency told the prince that there would be no dispensation from the rules.

“It is strange how the agency has ruled, considering we have done everything right with each application,” Hansson told the paper.

However, the prince and his girlfriend refuse to give up on their waterside sauna and now have three weeks to appeal the decision to the land and environment court (mark-och miljödomstolen) in Stockholm.

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10:02 June 28, 2012 by Alohart
Huh?! I've seen many and been in a few saunas at the water's edge and even on piers over the water, on both lakes and the sea. Is this some new law that grandfathered in the many existing waterside saunas? If so, how un-Swedish. Cold water to jump into near must be very near one's sauna. Speaking as a non-Swede, running 100-300 meters to reach the cold water, while making for an interesting spectator sport, would spoil the sauna experience.
11:04 June 28, 2012 by Puffin
@Alohart

The coastal protection law has been in place since 1952 - it does not allow new building at the wateredge but quite often you can get permission if there was already a pre existing structure - so many people build on the site of a hut or boat house

Somtimes the court will grant dispensation from the law

Increasingly popular in my neck of the woods are floating saunas which are classified as boats

From what I have read it was not a small sauna on a bridge that the prince intended to build - but more a cottage with sauna over 45 sq m - so perhaps it was the size of a modern building that was the issue
12:01 June 28, 2012 by skogsbo
there is a minmum size that you can build without permission, but clearly this would not be fit for prince! As stated, many are on floating barges / platforms next to jettys etc.. classed a boats, but they won't ever move again. Which ok fine, he should just accept the verdict, there is enough heavy metals in the lakes without adding more rubbish!
13:49 June 28, 2012 by engagebrain
Royalty have a great sense of entitlement - laws moi ?
12:50 June 29, 2012 by Eric1
Breathing to deeply violates environmental laws.
16:43 June 29, 2012 by VoodooDingy
How about buying a houseboat? You can have your Sauna AND you're next to the water all the time!

Problem solved, where's my award?
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