Surf’s up in Trafford after council waves through £60m lagoon
Irish developer McKinney Group is to create Modern Surf on Peel L&P-owned land near the Trafford Centre.
Trafford Council has this week approved plans for the £60m surf centre, paving the way for the redevelopment of the 15-acre brownfield site off Barton Dock Road.
The scheme is billed as the North West’s first inland man-made surf complex and features a lagoon powered by Wavegarden, a company that specialises in wave generating technologies.
Bar and restaurant facilities and other interactive attractions for visitors also feature in McKinney’s plans.
There would also be a fitness zone, including a halfpipe skateboarding area, bouldering facility, and other activity spaces at the site.
The attraction is due to open in 2023.
- Credit: via planning documents
- Credit: via planning documents
Billy McKinney, managing director of McKinney Group, said: “We’re delighted that Trafford Council has approved our proposals for Modern Surf, which will complement the already excellent leisure-based activities in TraffordCity and help to inspire the next generation of surfers and athletes.”
Leslie Jones Architecture is the lead architect for the project and Exterior Architecture is the landscape advisor. Lambert Smith Hampton is McKinney’s planning consultant. Hydrock is the engineer for the scheme. BECG is the strategic communications agency for McKinney Group.
Modern Surf’s approval follows that of Therme, a £250m, 700,000 sq ft wellness resort and spa, last year, as Peel L&P aims to boost the leisure offer at Trafford Park.
“Modern Surf will bring something unique to an already strong leisure offering,” said James Whittaker, executive development director at Peel L&P,
“Our vision is to be the UK’s number one destination for retail, leisure and business in a sustainable environment, where over the last 25 years we have created over 17,500 jobs and invested over £1.6bn.”
The plans for the project were submitted in July and were approved under delegated powers.
Looks absolutely awesome, and that’s coming from someone who can’t swim.
By Manc Man
Fantastic. With this and Therme; Mancunians are well set for any staycations.
By Matt Pickering
Will be a bit cold in winter.
By Meeseeks
This is as well as Therme?….wow that’s a lot of water based leisure stuff around the Trafford centre. Impressive.
By Anonymous
What about the traffic, especially when theres an event on or man utd are playing! The swing bridge cant cope now as it is, needs to be twice ad wide!!!
By Vincent lee
Superb
By Khalid
So much to offer around here now with this, TC, therme, chill factor etc. Fantastic for GM and the wider North West.
By Bob
The traffic around TC and surrounding area already a nightmare
By Jane Garside
Absolute joke,should NOT be allowed!! The roads cannot take all the traffic at present, the area is often gridlocked. I live in this area & around Christmas time a 10minute journey can easily take an hour. Thank God we’ll soon be moving house.
By Sylvia Pilgrim
Good on Manchester
By Anonymous
Yet another development in an area where traffic levels are high and pollution levels in this area getting higher and higher. Note to Trafford council, any affordable housing in the pipeline, or are the real needs of people in Trafford just a sideshow while they congratulate themselves on yet another planning decision without the residents in and around this area in mind.
By C HUTCHINSON
To spend £60 million on something that wastes enormous amounts of energy moving water for leisure flies in the face of the energy crisis and climate heating. For it to be an open-air pool is also wasteful unless it is planned as unheated. We need even stronger Green leadership inside Trafford Council
By Wendy Olsen
Another council sponsored white elephant. Will this mass pool project appeal to a community coming out of a pandemic. Besides it’s an outdoor attraction next to a poo farm
I apologise to all the Mancunian world class surfers but come on really it’s not rocket science
By T man
They need to improve the street cleaning as this is going to create more rubbish. I’m all for it but clean the streets more often and also impose on the companies around to help maintain the cleanliness
By Frances Nicholson
As a local resident i was asked for my imput, i know an awful of people apposed this how on earth has this got through clearly money talks louder than local constituents typical.
By Ann Bailey
As a local resident I do not agree with this. The infrastructure in this area is already bad, recently had RHS Bridgwater open more traffic. Trafford council you have not considered local people. Shame
By Barbara Miller