Therme Manchester will feature a water park with 25 swimming pools and 30 water slides as well as swim-up bars, saunas and wellness suites and is set to be a major new leisure attraction for the region
The construction of a huge water park with dozens of slides has taken a big step forward.
Sir Robert McAlpine has been confirmed as construction manager for the long-awaited £450m Therme Manchester wellbeing resort at TraffordCity. The attraction will be the largest thermal pool complex in Europe when it is open.
Over several planning iterations, the design has shifted from a single building with a vast undulating full-glass roof and façade to a series of connected roofed pavilions. When it is done, the resort will boast 30 waterslides, the UK’s biggest sauna area, multiple steam rooms, botanical gardens, immersive art installations, and a wave pool for families.
The resort will be located in the heart of TraffordCity. Swimmers can reach it via the Bee Network, Metrolink, and new canal-side walking and cycling routes. Drivers can park in a multi-storey car park that is also due to be built.
READ MORE: Major travel warning as biggest French ATC strike in years to impact over 36,000 BritsREAD MORE: UK’s ‘best autumn walking destination’ has beautiful woods and lower chance of rain
It is hoped that the confirmation of the construction manager will prevent further delays in Therme’s opening. The resort was due to open in 2025, but that has been pushed back to 2028. The cost of the project, previously estimated at £250 million, has skyrocketed to a staggering £400 million.
After a flurry of activity at the Trafford Centre site in October last year, things then seemed to slow down. Photos taken in February this year showed that while the ground had been cleared, no further construction appeared to be underway.
In response, management provided an update on the project’s progress. They announced that the “first major construction phase” is set to kick off “later this year”.
The official groundbreaking took place in October when a colossal 200-metre borehole was drilled into the TraffordCity site to harness its “natural thermal capacity”, a crucial element for the energy-efficient resort.
Back in February Professor David Russell, CEO of Therme UK, attributed the cost increase to an “old design” and construction-only costs.
He explained: “The current design incorporates additional public space, sustainable and accessibility initiatives, the spectacular inner wellbeing garden, incorporation of our own state-of-the-art energy centre focused on air-sourced heat pump energy and thermal storage (capable of incorporating district heating networks when available) and an integrated water retention system.
“All combined with the existing facilities to make Therme Manchester a unique and first of its kind in the UK.”
Therme Group’s current sites are located across Europe — Therme Bucharest, the globe’s first LEED Platinum-certified wellness facility, and Therme Erding, the planet’s largest wellbeing venue. They attract more than 3.5 million guests each year, and when Manchester’s Therme destination launches, it’s expected to deliver a multi-million pound tourism windfall to the area.