Gay sauna Chariots Waterloo to be demolished
One of London’s oldest gay bathhouses is to be demolished.
Chariots sauna in Waterloo is to be demolished, along with other occupants of the building it resides in, to make way for a new luxury hotel.
Lambeth Council’s planning applications committee approved the demolition late on Tuesday night.
The decision was confirmed to PinkNews by planning committee member Cllr Nigel Haselden, who praised the redevelopment for the “very welcome removal of a negative contributor to the street”.
The building, located on Lower Marsh street, Waterloo, in central London, will be replaced by a 66 room hotel.
It is not known whether the bathhouse will move to a new location in the area following the demolition.
PinkNews contacted Chariots for comment by phone, but has not received a response at the time of publishing.
The former site of Chariots in Shoreditch is also set to be demolished to make way for a new luxury hotel.
The site will be flattened, in order to build the 200-bedroom building, which will also include offices and retail space.
Their branch on Streatham previously closed, too.
The brand has come under increased criticism in the past few years, after a string of controversies led to questions regarding the safety and security of the saunas – especially the soon to be closed Shoreditch branch.
The site was severely damaged in a fire in 2011, with around 150 men evacuated from the club during the incident – many of them barefoot and wearing towels.
In 2012, a 46-year-old man was discovered dead in the sauna.
Last year, another man was found dead in the Waterloo branch of Chariots.
Neither death was treated as suspicious by police.
