February application for TraffordCity surf scheme

Developer McKinney Group aims to submit full plans for the £60m surf centre off Barton Dock Road next month, following a public consultation that launched last week.

The complex, called Modern Surf Manchester, would be the region’s first inland surfing lagoon and would enable surf beginners, learners and professionals to test their skills.

It would also house other adventure facilities on brownfield land owned by Peel L&P as part of its TraffordCity mixed-use development in Greater Manchester.

The scheme proposes a surfing lagoon operated by Wavegarden – a company that specialises in man-made wave generating technologies – together with bar and restaurant facilities and other interactive attractions for visitors, as well as a pump track and fitness zone, half-pipe skateboarding area, bouldering and balancing zones.

Subject to planning permission, the facility would open by 2023, McKinney Group said when it unveiled the proposals towards the end of last year.

The developer is seeking public feedback on its plans via a virtual consultation, prior to submitting a full planning application to Trafford Council in February.

In addition, two live discussion forums will be hosted through the consultation website to enable people to speak in real-time to the project team, on 4 February, 1-5pm, and 11 February from 1-5pm.

Billy McKinney, managing director of McKinney Group, said: “We are pleased to be investing into Trafford and adding to the unrivalled leisure offer available in TraffordCity.

“From the Trafford Centre, to Chill Factore, to the recently approved Therme water leisure complex, Modern Surf will be in perfect company and we look forward to attracting yet more visitors to this thriving area.

“We urge everyone interested in the plans to get in touch and share their views with us by visiting our virtual consultation.”

Leslie Jones Architecture is the lead architect that designed the scheme and Exterior Architecture is the landscape advisor. Lambert Smith Hampton is advising on the plans.

LSH director Paul Shuker said: “We believe these plans not only complement the existing leisure offer around TraffordCity, but will in part complete the eastern quarter of TraffordCity too.

“Modern Surf will bring in new visitors to the city region and regenerate one of the last remaining brownfield sites in TraffordCity.

“The concept of bringing surfing to Greater Manchester was considered during the dark days of the first lockdown, and it is with great excitement that we could have a world-leading surf facility in the city-region that will become part of a wider ‘Wavegarden’ network across the planet and put Greater Manchester on the surfing circuit for local, national and international competitions.”

Wavegarden is headquartered in northern Spain and operates surfing lagoons in other locations including South Korea, Melbourne, Bristol and Snowdonia. It has three in construction at present, one in Switzerland and two in Brazil.

James Whittaker, executive development director at the landowner Peel L&P, added: “Modern Surf will complement all the surrounding businesses while bringing immense economic and social benefits to the area.”

 

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With this development and the Therme water proposal Trafford City is going to be a popular leisure destination which will require much better public transport links. The M60 will not cope especially when United are at home.

By Anonymous

Anonymous – how about the new Metrolink connection which was built in 2020?

By Anonymous

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