What we know about Therme Manchester as UK's biggest waterpark delayed

Therme Manchester will be the UK's largest water resort and will feature dozens of swimming pools and saunas and an indoor beach.

Ross McGuinness
·3-min read
(Therme Manchester)
The planned park will feature a number of water slides. (Therme Manchester)

The opening of a new £250m water park and wellbeing resort - the biggest ever in the UK - has been delayed.

Therme Manchester will feature an indoor beach, sauna, an urban garden, a water park, mineral pools, a spa, a vertical farm, a rooftop garden, botanical gardens and restaurants.

The venue had been set to open in Manchester next year, but in its latest update, the Therme Group said the project has been delayed.

Yahoo News UK looks at when Britons might be able to experience the water park.

In a statement last week, the group behind the project said it has reached the "next significant phase of development".

Originally scheduled to open at the end of 2025, the Therme Group has now said that next year is when ground works will begin on the site, although it has not given a new opening date.

Professor David Russell, chief executive of Therme Group UK, said: "We are on track with our revised timeline.

(Therme Manchester)
Therme Manchester will feature an indoor beach that is open whatever the weather. (Therme Manchester)

"The site hoardings are being installed, utility preparations have commenced, and ground works will begin in 2025 with a design that delivers a landmark development which will stand as a beacon of wellbeing innovation."

The ground works will take place after amended designs for the park were submitted to Trafford Council, while delays have also been caused by the discovery of rare orchid flowers which have had to be "protected and transplanted".

The way was cleared for the development when the former EventCity conference centre on the site, close to the Trafford Centre, was demolished in March 2023.

Plans for the venue in TraffordCity were first unveiled in July 2019 and planning permission was later granted by Trafford Council in March 2020.

The park was scheduled to open in 2023 but this was pushed back two years as a result of the coronavirus pandemic.

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In June 2023, a new updated design was revealed that included glass domed pavilions, external water slides and a roof terrace.

The site will be located at the Barton Dock Road tram stop on the Trafford Park Line of the Metrolink system in Manchester.

The 28-acre site is the size of 19 football pitches and will feature a number of swimming pools, more than 18 water slides, more than 30 saunas and steam rooms and a 8,000 square metre wellbeing garden.

There will be more than 3,000 biodiverse trees on the site, and an indoor beach that can be used whatever the weather and whatever the time of year.

(Therme Manchester)
An artist's impression of the exterior of the planned water park and wellness venue. (Therme Manchester)

There will also be an urban farm, immersive digital art installations and botanical gardens.

The Therme Group hopes to follow up the Manchester resort with additional sites in Glasgow, London and in Wales.

Its goal is to make the parks accessible to 90% of the UK population within a 90-minute travel time.

It is hoped that the park in Manchester will create thousands of new jobs and attract millions of visitors each year.

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