A new fly-through video shows what TraffordCity will look like over the coming years, including a surfing lagoon and a huge wellness resort.
The area is set to undergo a major upgrade, with £2.6 billion earmarked for investment over the next 20 years.
Projects in the pipeline include the creation of the £250m ThermeManchester Wellbeing Resort, which will feature 35 water slides, 25 pools, 30 saunas and stream rooms, an on-site urban farm and botanical gardens.
Work has already started on the site, with Peel L&P submitting plans to demolish the 28,000 sq metre EventCity conference and exhibition space on Barton Dock Road.
When it’s complete, the Therme site will span 28 acres and create more than 500 permanent jobs.
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Another major development coming to TraffordCity is Modern Surf Manchester, an in-land surfing lagoon set to open by 2025.
Therme at TraffordCity. Credit: Therme Manchester
The £60m attraction will feature technology that will create consistent waves for all abilities, alongside a cafe, restaurant terrace, surf shop, beach bars, bouldering space and fitness zone.
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TraffordCity already attracts some 44 million visits each year, and is hoping to attract another 2.5 million visitors a year over the next five years.
Fives Soccer Centres is also set to launch a next-generation football centre, with world class facilities across eight larger-than-standard pitches.
The future of TraffordCity. Credit: TraffordCity
The five-a-side pitches offer individual player tracking, as well as video replays and highlights.
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The family-friendly attractions at TraffordCity continue with the NERF Action Xperience at Trafford Palazzo, which will take over a 35,000 sq ft space next summer and will include a branch of Archie’s burger and shake restaurant.
Other food and drink openings include high-end Italian restaurant Matterello, and Tim Hortons with its largest drive-thru in the UK.
You can watch a fly-through of the future of TraffordCity here:
Plans include a new development called Trafford Waters, which will create new affordable housing, retail and office opportunities, hotels, schools and a 20-acre public park.
It’s set to take around 20 years to complete in full, creating 5,000 jobs.
This month, plans were submitted for a new care facility to support older people and those living with dementia by Montpelier Estates – it will include facilities like a hair salon, cinema, rooftop garden and community event space.
Work on the first 350 new homes at Trafford Water has been funded by a grant of £4.08m from Homes England’s Housing Infrastructure Fund, match-funded by Peel L&P.
Phase one will include tree-lined footpaths and cycleways and the first acre of public green space at the development.
Trafford Housing Trust has submitted proposals for 83 homes on Trafford Waters that will be affordable homes for shared ownership.
Featured image: Therme Manchester
Trafford
Manchester United agree record streaming deal for new Amazon documentary TV series
Danny Jones
Manchester United have officially agreed a record sporting TV deal for a brand-new documentary TV series on the Amazon Prime Video streaming service.
That’s right, Man United are getting the All Or Nothing treatment.
With the Red Devils finishing the 2025/26 season much stronger than they started it, they’re now set to invite a film crew into the dressing room and the newly refurbished Carrington training complex for the upcoming campaign.
Although there have been many United documentaries over the years, everything from big budget and smaller indie projects to fan-made, this new show looks set to give a more exclusive present day peak behind the curtain of the club’s modern-day set-up than ever before.
While it remains unclear whether or not this past term’s exploits – be it the drama of the Ruben Amorim era, or the upturn under Michael Carrick – are set to be included, as the official announcement teases, the Amazon series will provide behind-the-scenes MUFC throughout the 26/27 term.
There was an opportunity to accept this kind of coverage shortly after INEOS invested in the business, but Amorim put a rather public kibosh on the offer to preserve the backroom’s privacy and prevent any unnecessary intrusion.
Understandably, a lot of people agree with the decision, especially given the team was not just in another state of flux but at a crucial turning point under their then-new boss.
Taking a more old-school manager approach, it may have been seen as a sensible step, but it wouldn’t have mattered either way, as the Portuguese head coach (who now looks set to join AC Milan) was eventually sacked after just over a year in charge.
Nevertheless, many supporters are still reticent about the prospect of lifting the lid on an organisation that has famously seen plenty of turbulence. The fan base will just be hoping for a season to remember for the right reasons while the cameras are running for a reportedly record
Really not a fan of this – I wonder what someone like Carrick thinks of this? Additional scrutiny and pressure in his first full season as Head Coach.
The two most recent Premier League champions, Arsenal and Man City, have both seen seasons of Amazon’s now well-known docuseries before going on to win landmark titles, so perhaps it could be a good omen; who knows?
Conversely, Sunderland – who were infamously selected as one of the first subjects of this all-access kind of series – arguably ended up putting more unnecessary spotlight on their struggles.
As for those under the All Or Nothing umbrella, Spurs, Juventus and even the German international have also served as examples of how the big payout may not always be worth the bad press, with all three having gone through plenty of trials and tribulations in and around the respective versions airing.
Let’s just say that, reportedly ‘record’ sums or not, this could still go one way or the other…
While it’s still unclear as to the actual figure Manchester United will be taking home as part of the package with Amazon, this is yet another example of the steady Americanisation of association football, starting with the NFL and ice hockey before now drawing even wider audiences to the beautiful game.
Much-loved Manc music shop Tasty Records goes up for sale as owners calls on next custodians to take over local favourite
Danny Jones
Much-loved Greater Manchester record and music store Tasty Records has officially closed, and the current custodian is putting the Trafford institution up for sale in hopes that someone will take over as worthy successors.
What an opportunity for any budding entrepreneurs.
The Alty record shop in its current brick-and-mortar form has stood for some time now, but popular owner Ben Molesworth has been selling physical media from 2012 onwards, and now his time at the helm of the hailed south Manchester spot has come to a somewhat bittersweet end.
A bit of a local legend with regulars who frequent and flick through his coveted vinyl collection, not just on Record Store Day but throughout the year, the area will be sad to see him go – and so will we – but it doesn’t mean this has to be the end.
“The shop deserves more than I can give it, and I have sold records in Altrincham for 14 years”, he explains, before going on to add that “It’s time for me to concentrate on different things.
“What happens now?” he continues, “Keep following! I’m not sure yet. I have closed the doors, but everything is still there… A busy website, Discogs, socials, a strong set of accounts and £ks of great vinyl stock.”
You’d think with a sales pitch like that, it would be a no-brainer for audiophiles who’ve ever dreamt of spending their days cataloguing their favourite tunes and artists, whilst providing a still criminally unsung public service: delivering printed music to the masses.
With more than a decade and a half of experience to his name, we’re sure Ben has plenty of wisdom to impart about how to take good care of his baby moving forward – he just needs some to set up to the plate/turntable.
As saturated as the Manc music market and record store scene is, it was also comfortably on this list pretty much since day one.
All that being said, part of the challenge for any independent business is getting the word out, hence why we thought we’d help do our bit by shouting about it.
He signed off by adding: “Thank you to all of my wonderful customers, friends and supporters. Tasty Recordsisn’t dead, only sleeping. Lots of love, Ben.”
For anyone who might fancy taking over this “awesome little record shop” (his words AND ours), you can express your interest/table an offer over email via [email protected].
What an honour it would be to carry on this place’s legacy – here’s hoping someone takes up the mantle soon.
Daisy Jackson -
15th December 2022 
