Greater Manchester locals are urged to have their say on the design plans for the region’s massive new £250 million wellness resort.
Ahead of the plans being formally submitted to Trafford Council in just a few weeks time, developers are now asking the public to view and comment on a new design for the “game-changing” Therme Manchester.
In case you didn’t know, Therme Manchester will be the UK’s first city-based wellness resort.
Dubbed an ‘urban oasis’, and spanning a whopping 28-acres opposite the Trafford Centre and Trafford Palazzo, Therme Manchester is being built by global developer and operator, Therme Group, alongside Manchester-based developers Peel L&P, and is gearing up to be “a beacon for the North West” – with a wide range of attractions for all ages and budgets forming part of the plans.
You can now have your say on plans for Manchester’s ‘game-changing’ new £250m wellness resort / Credit: Therme Manchester
Greater Manchester’s first all-season urban beach, and an indoor waterpark with dozens of water slides, thermal pools, spas, and saunas and steam rooms, are just some of the attractions in the works, as well as an education centre, and so much more.
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There’ll be a strong focus on health, wellbeing, and sustainability once the resort opens.
Therme Manchester will be the UK’s first city-based development of its kind / Credit: Therme Manchester
Since the concept of the development was first unveiled to the public back in 2020, developers say they have already implement a series of design improvements in a bid to provide “better access for the large number of expected visitors”.
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According to developers, the project has moved from being principally a single building with an undulating roof line, to a more “pavilion-style concept” with separate connected structures that are “immersed and enveloped” in a natural landscape.
Some of these design improvements include creating three separate entrances for people arriving from all directions, a new landscaped green boulevard for those travelling by car, as well as new on-site parking places that will be “concealed in nature”, and better access for cyclists and those arriving on foot via public transport.
There’ll be a strong focus on health, wellbeing, and sustainability once the resort opens / Credit: Therme Manchester
“Therme Manchester will have a transformative impact on the city and individuals,” Stelian Iacob – Senior Vice President and CEO of Therme Group UK – said as the public consultation opens.
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“The Therme experience is designed around physical and mental wellbeing.
“Human contact with water, steam, fresh air and nature is optimised in an environment that sets itself apart from the pressures of daily metropolitan life [and] we are confident that Therme Manchester will be a catalyst for a wave of local urban development that, over time, will bring new homes and jobs and will create opportunities for the wider area.
“As such, we hope that our project will act as an urban anchor and a destination that gives a fresh identity to this area of the city.”
Therme Manchester, the UK’s first city-based wellbeing resort in @TraffordCity, is inviting the public to view and comment on a new design which would also include an English meadow inspired urban wellbeing garden at its centre.
If the plans are approved, the £250 million construction of the resort will begin later this year.
Featured Image – Therme Manchester
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Trams are officially coming to Stockport as part of £2.5bn investment package
Emily Sergeant
It’s official… Stockport is finally getting trams.
It’s been a long time coming, so long, in fact, that rumours first began swirling all the way back in July 2022 when then Prime Minister Boris Johnson hinted at in PMQs, all before Mayor Andy Burnham insisted in October 2023 that he had ‘big ambitions’ to deliver the project once and for all, but now it’s finally been confirmed.
Transport for Greater Manchester (TfGM) has today revealed that Stockport will be connected to the Metrolink tram network thanks to a £2.5 billion funding boost from the Government.
At this moment in time, Stockport is one of only a few boroughs in the region that’s not currently connected up to the expansive Metrolink network, but all of that is set to change very soon, as Greater Manchester is beginning the construction of the town’s very-first tram line.
It will help deliver:
🐝 Eight rail lines and 64 stations into the capped system by 2028
🐝 A new tram line to Stockport
🐝 A new tram-train service connecting Bury, Heywood, Rochdale and Oldham
While the intention for trams to eventually travel to and from the town has been known for quite some time now, there hasn’t been much talk of timelines or when this would actually become a reality.
For now, it seems there’s still no timelines as such, but at least there’s confirmation.
The confirmation that trams will be coming to Stockport forms part of a lineup of exciting transport announcements this week, all of which Andy Burnham has called a ‘game-changing moment’ that will ‘underpin Greater Manchester’s green growth’ for years to come.
Trams are officially coming to Stockport as part of a £2.5 billion investment package / Credit: TfGM
Other announcements include the fact that Greater Manchester‘s Bee Network is to become a fully-electric, zero-emission public transport system by 2030, local rail lines will be brought into the Bee Network before the end of the decade, fully joining up bike, bus, tram, and train travel for the first time outside London, and the introduction of new electric buses, tram lines, tram stops, and transport interchanges.
North Manchester, Bury, and Oldham are the areas set to receive new Metrolink stops to support delivery of thousands of new homes, and Oldham, Rochdale, Heywood, and Bury will all be connected to each other via the Bee Network.
“Building on our strong track record, we can now move at pace to deliver the next phase of the Bee Network – creating the UK’s first fully electric, zero emission integrated public transport system by 2030,” commented Mayor Andy Burnham as the funding package was announced this week.
The Bee Network become a fully-electric, zero-emission public transport system by 2030 / Credit: TfGM
“With a pipeline of major transport projects better connecting our towns and cities, and local rail lines brought into the Bee Network, our communities will be the first outside London to be served by fully joined-up bike, bus, tram, and train travel.
“Greater Manchester has had a decade of growth faster than the UK average, and this funding can be the key to unlocking even more growth in the decade to come.
“It’s a major boost for our own plans to deliver £10bn of investment over the next 10 years, build thousands of new homes, create skilled jobs, and open up new opportunities right across our city-region.”
Featured Image – TfGM
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Police still searching for answers six months after remains of baby girl found in Little Hulton park
Emily Sergeant
Six months on after the remains of a baby girl were found in a park in Little Hulton, police are still searching for answers.
It was on 20 November 2024 that Greater Manchester Police (GMP) received a call from a member of the public reporting the discovery of what appeared to be human remains in a park in the Little Hulton area of Salford – but it was only when officers and detectives attended the scene that they determinted the remains to be that of a baby girl.
At the time, police referred to the baby simply as ‘Baby A’, but it’s now be confirmed that they chose to name her Ava.
Since that day, a dedicated team from GMP’s Major Incident Team has worked ‘tirelessly’ to uncover the truth about who Baby Ava was and what led to her being left alone.
Detectives have followed up on hundreds of public tips, conducted thousands of hours of house-to-house enquiries, reviewed extensive CCTV footage, and collaborated with police forces and agencies across the country in pursuit of identifying who baby Ava was and securing justice for her… but as of yet, there are no answers.
Police are still searching for answers six months after the remains of a baby girl found in a Little Hulton park / Credit: Google Maps
Information from the public also led police to speak with potential witnesses nationwide, and time was also spent trawling the national missing person database, focusing on cases involving females who were potentially pregnant and reported missing, yet these were unsuccessful.
To this day, police continue to work closely with a range of experts.
Currently, a botanist is helping detectives determine how long Ava may have been at the discovery site, and work is continuing with an anthropologist, archaeologist, and specialists in dental and bone analysis to establish Ava’s age and ethnicity.
As investigations continue at a rapid pace, police have reissued their appeal to the public for information.
Police have since named the baby Ava as their search for answers continues / Credit: GMP
“We will never forget Baby Ava, and despite the challenges in the investigation, we’re committed to uncovering the truth,” commented Detective Chief Inspector Charlotte Whalley, from GMP’s Major Incident Team. “We are more determined than ever to find who Ava is, who her parents are, and all of the possible scenarios and circumstances which have led Ava to being separated from them.
“I know how heartbreaking this case has been for the communities of Greater Manchester and beyond. The support and compassion we’ve received has been unwavering, and we share the sadness felt for Ava as we continue our search for answers so that we can lay her to rest.
“If you are baby Ava’s mum, please know that you are not alone. You can contact us directly or ask someone you trust to reach out on your behalf. We want to help you.”
Anyone with any information that may be of assistance is asked to contact police on 101, quoting log 1319 of 20/11/24, or by heading to the Major Incident Public Portal here.
Emily Sergeant -
13th June 2023 
