Trafford greenlights 3,000-capacity ice arena
ICITIES has secured consent for the project, which will be constructed on the site of the former Soccer Dome at Peel Waters’ TraffordCity.
Trafford Council has approved plans for the 3,000-capacity arena, which will be operated by Planet Ice and provide a rink for skating and hockey as well as a flexible events space.
A sports bar, family restaurant, and party rooms also feature within the plans, designed by Aew Architects.
Nick Payne, director of ICITIES, said: “This approval allows us to move forward with creating a truly unique venue.
“Our design combines professional ice facilities with flexible spaces for non-ice events, ensuring the arena can serve a wide range of uses and audiences. The design includes approximately 20,000 sq ft of ancillary space for tenants offering complementary food, beverage and leisure facilities.”
Planet Ice Trafford will become part of TraffordCity’s growing leisure eco-system, which is home to The Padel Club, iFLY, a Daivd Lloyd Health Club, Trafford Golf Centre and Fives Soccer.
Construction of what will surely be the complex’s biggest draw – the £450m Therme wellbeing resort – is also underway.
Peel Waters said it is “actively exploring” further development opportunities for the remaining Soccer Dome land, including high-end lifestyle hotels and additional leisure and sporting experiences.
The venue will add to TraffordCity’s growing leisure offer. Credit: via Peel Waters
James Whittaker, managing director of Peel Waters, said: “Securing planning approval for the TraffordCity Ice Arena is fantastic news for the area.
“This is a significant step in delivering our vision for TraffordCity as a destination that offers something for everyone. The new arena will provide world-class ice facilities and enhance our growing portfolio of sport and leisure experiences; attracting new visitors, investment and employment opportunities to the region.”
Heath Rhodes, chief operations manager at Planet Ice, said the arena would satisfy a growing demand.
“Demand for ice facilities in the North West continues to grow, and this arena will help meet that need while delivering first class amenities for visitors.
“TraffordCity is the perfect location, with excellent transport links and complementary leisure attractions.”
Construction is expected to begin in summer 2026 with a contractor appointment imminent.
Savills advised on planning and Andrew Bain is the project manager. SGi, DEP, and Eddison are also attached to the scheme.
Jeremy Hinds, planning director at Savills Manchester who led on the application, said: “We are delighted that Trafford Council has approved this landmark application this week.
“The new ICITIES arena represents a major step forward for ice sports in the North West, providing a world‑class facility for both athletes and spectators. Its arrival will strengthen Trafford’s position as a premier destination for sport, leisure and entertainment, while delivering significant economic and community benefits to the region.”
I’m guessing that means Planet Ice in Altrincham is toast. Great site.
By Rich X
Didn’t Liverpool Labour propose this 30 years ago next to the M&S arena on the derelict land that still derelict.
By Anonymous
TraffordCity is coming into its own, it’s the premier sports, shopping, leisure and living destination in the Region and beyond supplemented by Old Trafford, MediaCity and RHS Bridgewater. It’s a wow destination
By TJL
All for the development but the traffic is a nightmare!
By The Blob
Great that it’s further investment in Trafford. It seems a shame that this will likely be the death knell for the Altrincham rink, I would have much preferred that to get properly developed. We cant go to Trafford Park for everything!
There is so much going on at the Trafford Centre / Trafford City, constant developments, yet the area still looks like a total dump, post-industrial wasteland and is synonymous with car congestion.
By Anonymous
“Trafford City” is a marketing slogan not a real place. The centre of this do-called place is a huge highways intersection and the M60 with various randomly plonked developments strewn about. As popular as some of them may be individually, it doesn’t yet hang together as a real place let alone a “city”.
By Anonymous
Signage Zone is a great name.
By Anonymous
I think Anonymous 1.47 we know it’s just a marketing slogan to give the area a destination name…Dumplington for instance wouldn’t work ! The area is really becoming Manchester and indeed the North Wests leisure area and that will only grow when Therme is finished. As for the M60, yep busy busy and likely to get busier and I like many people spend a good deal of my dwindling life in it. Still..can’t have our cake and eat it..there are trams and buses and personally I could cycle down the Bridgewater canal but I won’t..like most people. I’m fundamentally lazy.
By Anonymous
How did Chill Factore/The Snow Centre get missed off the list of existing leisure facilities at ‘Trafford City’?
By Mammoth in the room
Great addition to Trafford city, however I do agree that it will contribute to the traffic congestion already prevalent in this area. I would hope that before Therme opens a travel strategy could be drawn up which, in addition to the metrolink, creates more public transport opportunities. I’m thinking of additional buses, and the use of the ship canal for water buses. Unless public transport solutions are found this area will be gridlocked especially during football season when United are at home.
By Anonymous
All the Trafford centre area additions and with the OT development, it all needs a significant enhancement to the train line; there’s already a line there, it just need some investment to match the development! Pleeeeeassse.
Otherwise, it’s just going to be Traffic City.
By Invest in the Fricking Trains, please!
Unfortunately Trafford only consider people driving to places like this. There is a single footbridge from the back of Davyhulme into the TC. You can’t walk directly from Lostock Circle. J10 of the M60 is terrible for pedestrians. Barton Swing Aqueduct has extremely narrow footways and is downright dangerous.
All hail the car, and the Trafford councillors driving them.
By Flixton resident
3k isn’t big enough if Manchester Storm have any ambition to grow the team. Hopefully this means Altrincham will end up with a 6k plus seater arena
By Chris
Hopefully the eyesore in altrincham can be redeveloped when they move to Trafford park
By Christopher T
New ice areana, new water park , isn’t the traffic bad enough already , how will this affect business in Trafford park if the surrounding roads are gridlocked, just look at the Trafford centre at Christmas
By Jim Beam
Disappointing that the capacity is only 3,000. In this location, which is far more accessible than Altrincham, I think Storm could grow to 5-8000 on a regular basis.
By Jonathan Fox
There’s already far too much strain on the current transport infrastructure, this new ice rink being added to Therme and the Trafford waters housing project, plus a few other developments to boot.
By Remus
Private profit-only driven investment. Then folk demand that the community should spend on transport, and so on. And if the area looks like a dump; well that is what Anglo-American places all look like. Go to pre-industrial pre-urbanized pre-finance capitalism town is you want places that are liveable and beautiful. NOT Greater Manchester.
By Anonymous
Now to get the tram extension sorted, with a stop on Trafford Way (to serve Trafford Waters), a stop near here (to serve ice rink, snow centre etc), and a couple of stop over the river (serving the stadium and terminating at Port Salford).
By Anonymous
LOL at 10:51 am by Anonymous. Get a grip love, your jealousy is a stinker.
By Anonymous
I hope this arena can also be used for basketball and netball, the current facilities for Manchester Thunder and the basketball team are inadequate.
By Anonymous
Planet Ice…my interest slipped at that point.
By CC Sheffield
Since any extension of the tram further westwards will benefit Peel Holdings virtually 100%, they should pay the bulk of the costs.
By Anonymous
Capacity needs to be higher to compete against Sheffield, Belfast and Nottingham.
By Anonymous