Work on the highly anticipated spa project making waves in Trafford has finally started and with buzz for the project building ever since its announcement in 2020, Therme is without a doubt one of the biggest coming to Greater Manchester.
Located right next to The Trafford Centre, this £250 million spa and wellbeing complex is proposed not only to create more than 5,000 jobs and span a total of 28 acres but will also be the biggest of its kind anywhere in the UK.
Set to be delivered by the global wellbeing leader, Therme – who have nine sites in total four of which are operational and five of which are in development, including two in the UK – it’s a development that’s been watched closely at every stage.
It might still be early days but here’s what the large plot looks like at the moment:
The Manchester spa resort will be erected here.Hard to picture right now, we know.Enabling works have begun to clear the land and underground obstacles ahead of construction starting. (Credit: Rule 5 – supplied)
Opening destinations in both Glasgow and Manchester as well as across the globe, the Therme Group is making its resorts accessible to people wherever and whenever they need them.
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The Manchester site, which is replacing the prior EventCity, is set to hold over 25 specific areas, 15 waterslides, 10 pools and plenty more.
These areas and rooms all boast wellbeing benefits ranging from saunas and health areas to steam and snow rooms – even multi-sensory showers, whatever that means.
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Inside the massive health and well-being building, the temperature will be kept at a constant 33 degrees all year round using advanced technology to preserve the heat.
At the Manchester resort, the grounds are set to contain warm water lagoons, botanical gardens and palm trees, giving the site a real tropical feel. Now enabling works have officially started, the path towards seeing CGIs like these brought to life feels more real:
Throughout the location, wireless RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) technology will be used to make payments for vendors, retailers and food inside the retreat on the fly.
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It sounds like an arbitrary thing to note initially until you learn that this all works through individual bracelets which are directly paired with lockers in the venue to ensure purchases and belongings are kept safe and secure.
But what exactly has been done so far? Well, following full approval last year, an initial 200-metre borehole has now been drilled on the site next to the Greater Manchester shopping centre, meaning the spa resort build is underway at last.
Once started, construction is set to be completed within the next 24-30 months. Therme is eventually hoping to have a destination available within a 90-minute commute for all UK residents. It also looks set to have a similar and super exciting neighbour at some point in the future too.
Police confirm man was arrested ‘on suspicion of making an explosive device’ in Gay Village
Daisy Jackson
Police have confirmed that the man who was detained in the midst of an incident in the Gay Village yesterday was arrested on suspicion of making an ‘explosive device’.
A huge cordon was in place in the Canal Street area in the city centre on Monday 11 May, after members of the public reported a ‘chemical smell’ coming from a hotel at around 10.45am.
Emergency services attended the scene and found chemical substances in a hotel room.
The man, who was believed to be the occupant of the hotel room, was detained at the scene.
Greater Manchester Police have since confirmed that he was ‘detained on suspicion of making an explosive device’ and was taken into custody for questioning.
In an update shared yesterday, they wrote: “The response to the incident on Canal Street in Manchester city centre is being reduced following reports of chemical substances being found.
“Emergency services examined items within a room inside a hotel following calls from the public at about 10:45am.
“A man, believed to be the occupant of the room, was detained on suspicion of making an explosive device and is currently in custody being questioned.
“Chemical substances found in the room have been examined and are in the process of being safely removed. The subsequent examination ruled out any explosive risk.
“We are working with the hotel management to return the establishment to normal after staff and guests were evacuated as a precaution.
“Staff from the fire service’s Hazardous Materials and Environmental Protection team remain in attendance to conduct tests and ensure the area is safe.
“We would like to thank the public and surrounding businesses for their patience as we continue with our work.”
No trams to run on major Greater Manchester line for two weeks as part of £150m improvement works
Emily Sergeant
Major disruption is on the horizon, as no trams are set to run on a major Greater Manchester line for two weeks this month.
As the next phase of the ongoing £150m investment into Greater Manchester’s tram network gets under way this month, essential track replacement work is set to be be carried out in a bid to make the network ‘safer’ and ‘more resilient and reliable’ for years to come.
Due to improvement works on the Oldham-Rochdale line – which is being carried out between Monsall and Newton Heath & Moston – there will be no trams between Manchester Victoria and Rochdale town centre for two weeks, starting from this Saturday 16 May right through to Friday 29 May.
The work being carried out will involve replacing sections of track and improving drainage along the route.
The track foundation will also be replaced where needed, as well as work to correct the alignment and level of the track.
No trams will be running on a major Greater Manchester line for two weeks from this weekend / Credit: TfGM
Transport for Greater Manchester (TfGM) has conceded that this is a ‘big and complex job’ – with 290 new concrete sleepers and 2,000 tonnes of pea gravel being used, and more than 5,000 tonnes of ballast set to be replaced.
But, when the work is done, it’s aiming to make journeys ‘smoother and more reliable’ for passengers, while improving the condition of the track for the long-term.
While the work is being carried out and the line is closed, bus replacement services will be in place between Victoria and Rochdale Town Centre, and more frequent Bee Network bus services will also call at the bus stops near each tram stop too, however tram tickets will only be accepted on the replacement bus, not on numbered bus services.
Elsewhere, work at Derker will also take place at the same to ‘minimise disruption’.
The track was made safe following a landslip in summer 2024, but now, a longer-term solution will see teams drive steel sheets into the ground to hold it in place and prevent further movement, before further work will be needed later in the year to complete the job.
And to top it off, from Monday 25 to Friday 29 May, improvement work to update equipment that has been in place since the line opened in 1992 will also take place at Piccadilly Gardens, and that means no trams will run between St Peter’s Square/Market Street and Piccadilly during this time.
Customers may need to change trams, take a short walk, or hop on the free bus to continue their journey.
Tram services will resume as normal from the start of service on Saturday 30 May, and passengers travelling during this period are urged to ‘plan ahead’.
Everything you need to know about the planned works is on the TfGM website here.
Thomas Melia -
19th October 2024 
