Therme Manchester: demolition work for wellbeing resort to be finished by Christmas and surf lagoon on track

Demolition work to make way for a spectacular wellbeing and spa resort in Greater Manchester is on track to be completed by Christmas, the developers say.

Work is progressing on Therme Manchester which will feature 25 indoor and outdoor pools, 35 waterslides and more than 30 saunas and steam rooms

The ambitious project is just one of the things being worked on at TraffordCity, the massive leisure and retail destination which includes the Trafford Centre.

Developers Peel L&P have given an update on how the various projects, including plans to bring a surfing lagoon to the city-region, are going. They have also released a fly-around video enabling residents to see what the site could look like when all the work is finished.

What is happening with Therme Manchester?

Currently work is taking place to demolish the 28,000 square metre former EventCity conference and exhibition space on Barton Dock Road to clear the way for the £250m Therme Manchester development. Peel L&P say this work should be completed during the festive season.

The 28-acre site, which is being developed by Therme Group in partnership with Peel L&P, will eventually be home to a state-of-the-art waterpark.

As well as a host of bathing facilities with pools and slides, there will be a wellbeing spa, immersive digital art, an on-site urban farm and botanical gardens.

The team behind the ambitious project is hoping it will bring as many as 500 new jobs to the area.

What is happening with the surf lagoon and other projects?

Modern Surf Manchester will be the first surfing lagoon in the region and is still on track, with a scheduled opening date at TraffordCity of 2025. The £60m project is going to be located on a 12-acre brownfield site off Barton Dock Road and it is hoped around 100 jobs will be created.

Altogether around £2.6bn has been earmarked for ploughing into the various projects planned for the TraffordCity area.

Recently progress has been made on the Trafford Waters housing development. In December plans were submitted by specialist healthcare provider Montpelier Estates in conjunction with Peel L&P, for a new 82-bed, three-storey care facility which will provide specialist dementia care. Other facilities planned include a bistro café, a hair salon, a cinema, a rooftop garden and space for community events, relaxation and exercise.

Work is also now under way on the first batch of 350 homes planned for Trafford Waters. The initial infrastructure work includes building tree-lined footpaths and cycleways as well as creating the first area of green space around an acre in size. Trafford Housing Trust, working with L&Q, also submitted plans for 83 affordable one and two-bedroom homes at Trafford Waters in October.

There will also be a new place to enjoy an action-packed day out with family members or friends next year when the NERF Action Xperience opens. This will be in a 35,000 sq ft space in Trafford Palazzo and involves participants taking part in a whole range of immersive experiences, competitions and challenges with NERF blasters. It is set to open to the public in summer 2023.