Planning Approved for the UK’s First City Wellbeing Resort

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19 September 2023

Therme Manchester will be the UK’s first city-based wellbeing resort and is set to contribute over £4.5 billion to the UK economy.

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Initial designs for the spa resort were a single building with zones and an undulating roofline, but Trafford Council has approved plans for a £250 million flowing pavilion-style concept.

This new design for Therme Manchester features separate connected structures that are “immersed and enveloped in a natural landscape”, with a revised location for car parking and enhanced connectivity with public transport.

Located on a currently vacant brownfield site, planned attractions include large family and adults-only zones with swimming pools, slides, warm water lagoons and multi-sensorial saunas. Water-based fitness classes, evidence-based wellness therapies, botanical gardens, immersive art, urban farms and educational activities aim to create an integrated wellbeing concept for all ages.

Picture: a CGI of the resort showing one of the indoor pools, with a glass ceiling and lots of plants. Image Credit: Peel L&P

A district heating network and PV panels above the car park and on the roof of the logistics hub will provide low-carbon heating for the resort. A new connection to the Bridgewater Canal will improve the link between the resort and Manchester city centre, delivering increased access for pedestrians and cyclists.

In partnership with Peel L&P, Fletcher Priest have acted as consultant architects alongside Therme Group's in-house architecture practice and design company Therme ARC. GROSS.MAX., an Edinburgh-based firm have assisted with the landscape design and developing the concept within the broader urban landscape.

Councillor Tom Ross, Leader of Trafford Council, said: “I am very pleased that the planning committee supported this application. This wellbeing resort is a huge £250m leisure development which is the first of its kind in the country and we are delighted it is being built here in Trafford. The resort will attract millions of visitors each year and will add significantly to the local economy during construction and once operational. It will also create more than 1,500 person-years of construction jobs and 600 permanent full-time jobs.

“The development sits a short walk from the latest Metrolink extension and supports several of our key commitments by improving health and wellbeing, providing connectivity for cyclists and pedestrians, creating a new public realm, and regenerating a vacant brownfield site in a sustainable location.”

it is forecast to attract up to two million visitors per year, within five years, making it the most visited water-based attraction in Europe. Construction is set to commence later in 2023, with an estimated duration of 24 months for completion.

Picture: a CGI of the resort showing a view from the air. Image Credit: Peel L&P

Article written by Ella Tansley | Published 19 September 2023

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