It’s officially happening – Therme Manchester, the new £250m wellness resort near the Trafford Centre, has been granted planning approval.
With it comes a set of brand new images showing how the luxury facility will look, from its multiple swimming pools to its slides to its multi-sensory saunas.
Therme Manchester will have warm water lagoons, adults-only zones, botanical gardens, urban farms, immersive art, water-based fitness classes, and loads more.
The much-anticipated development is forecast to contribute more than £4.5 billion to the UK economy and provide a huge boost to the local economy and tourism industry.
With work set to begin later this year, we’re looking at 2025 before it officially welcomes its first visitors.
Its latest design, which has received approval from Trafford Council, features a pavilion-style concept in a natural landscape.
The artist impressions released today show huge white waved rooftops, with enormous glass windows and skylights.
The inner garden, or Garden of Wellness, at Therme Manchester
Inside is an urban oasis where palm trees tower above sunbeds.
And outside, it looks like Therme Manchester will have lush gardens and swimming ponds, and amphitheatre-style seatiManchester’s Science and Industry Museum reveals ‘special’ 40th birthday events lineupng looking over the canal.
Therme Manchester has now also appointed its CEO, Professor David Russell, whose background includes major ventures like the London 2012 Summer Olympics, The Rugby World Cup in Japan 2019 and the $8 billion Expo 2020 in Dubai.
An aerial view of Therme Manchester. Credit: Supplied
Russell said: “Therme Manchester will be the UK’s first city-based wellbeing resort. Our ambition is to make a positive difference in millions of people’s lives whilst creating a new wave in urban living.”
James Whittaker, executive director of development at Peel L&P said: “After five years working in partnership with Therme, we are delighted to hear planning permission has been approved for this incredible, high-quality health and wellbeing resort in TraffordCity.
“We’re looking forward to working closely with the whole of the Therme team to deliver something truly unique and iconic in the UK, that is not only world-leading for health and wellbeing, but will also create a significant number of new jobs and have a huge positive economic impact for North West England.”
Therme Manchester as viewed from Bridgewater Canal
Cllr Tom Ross, Leader of Trafford Council, said: “I am very pleased that the planning committee supported this application. This wellbeing resort is a huge £250m leisure development which is the first of its kind in the country and we are delighted it is being built here in Trafford.
“The resort will attract millions of visitors each year and will add significantly to the local economy during construction and once operational. It will also create more than 1,500 person-years of construction jobs and 600 permanent full-time jobs.
“The development sits a short walk from the latest Metrolink extension and supports several of our key commitments by improving health and wellbeing, providing connectivity for cyclists and pedestrians, creating a new public realm, and regenerating a vacant brownfield site in a sustainable location.”
I’ve always accepted that commercial air travel comes with a certain level of chaos: the lines, the noise, the stress of checking your pocket for your passport every five minutes or checking the screens for that inevitable delay. It’s not glamorous, but it’s just part of the deal. It’s the price to pay prior to a holiday of good food and weather. Or so I thought.
Last week, aether turned that belief entirely on its head.
Upon arrival at the private terminal – located away from the main airport, near Runway Visitors Park – we were greeted outside by the most lovely host and welcomed inside. It was surreal; there were no crowds, no lines, no barking announcements – only calm, quiet luxury. Granted it was 6am, but let’s admit it, even Manchester Airport can be chaotic at that time.
The lounge area was super relaxed. Ambient music echoed quietly throughout the room and large panoramic windows meant you could watch the spectacle of every take off and landing right from your armchair.
But the real highlight? Breakfast by Adam Reid. Yes, that Adam Reid – the mastermind chef behind The French restaurant at The Midland Hotel. aether serves a three-course breakfast experience that wouldn’t feel out of place in a five-star hotel.
We enjoyed the fresh fruit in elderflower cordial, the buttery jammy croissant pudding and a bowl each of overnight oats. Already this was more than I’d have for breakfast any other day, nevermind the day you go on holiday where you’re usually too stressed to eat.
Then we opted for the smoked salmon and scrambled crumpet and the breakfast bun. The breakfast bun was huge, and kept me full all the way to Seville.
Finally, we finished off with a small smoothie and a cake each, before sitting back down to await details about our flight. Oh, I almost forgot to mention the beer and prosecco, because we were on our holidays after all.
If that wasn’t reason enough to fly with aether, the level of luxury had only just begun. When our flight was almost ready to board, we were asked to head on through to security. It was identical to that seen in any other terminal, except once again, we were the only people there. In fact, we were through security in less than two minutes. I think it was at that point I said to my partner: “I can never go back to normal.” These are the things worth paying for.
What it’s like to fly from aether, Manchester Airport’s ultra-luxury new private terminal
Obviously, we still had to get to the plane. You’d assume they have a bus? You’d be wrong. We were chauffeured to the gate in a luxury BMW quite literally driving alongside the runway with a couple of stops whilst we had to wait for planes to reverse. We felt important.
If I let my imagination get the best of me I’d have thought we were heading to a private hangar to board Air Force One. But lo and behold, we had to enter the airport for all of 30 seconds before we boarded the plane. God forbid! Our chauffeur even made sure we boarded through the priority queue, and that concluded the coolest and smoothest way I had ever boarded a Ryanair flight.
It’s easy to scoff at the idea of a ‘private terminal’ until you experience it for yourself. But aether isn’t just offering luxury for luxury’s sake – it’s redefining what the start of a journey can feel like. No queues, no noise, no stress – just calm, care, and an exceptional breakfast to send you on your way.
Greater Manchester’s Bee Network is now facing its first wave of congestion and delays as thousands of Oasis fans travel into the city region and towards Heaton Park by tram.
An approximate 80,000 fans are expected at each of the Live ’25 homecoming shows, with countless Oasis die-hards not just travelling from across the boroughs but up and down the county, as well as from overseas.
While additional tram services and bus provision have been planned way in advance of the huge music and cultural event, the delays and crowds are starting to gather as the show’s start times edge ever closer.
The official Bee Network social media team has now informed commuters and gig-goers of the current situation on the Metrolink lines.
Due to the volume of demand, there are queues for trams and delays to Bee Network services, but things are moving.
We've laid on extra trams for Oasis, with double-trams leaving full from Victoria every six minutes.
As you can see, with Manchester hitting temperatures of 30C today, while it makes for the perfect weather for an outdoor gig, there are growing concerns for those on public transport and queuing to get into the park.
In terms of the trams and buses, extra services are being put on throughout the city, especially on the direct line from Victoria Station to Heaton Park along the already packed post-work Bury line.
With “double-trams leaving full from Victoria every six minutes”, according to officials, while things are getting increasingly busier, they insist that things “are moving.”
An Oasis travel ‘masterplan’ was announced earlier this week to help deal with the hordes of fans; however, reports of those heading to Heaton Park being told to walk amid “hour and a half” wait times are already circulating online.
Today's the day it FINALLY all begins… can you believe it? 😭
Don't forget, if you're heading to Heaton Park later on, then @BeeNetwork has released its transport 'masterplan' for you to follow to make your journey seamless. 🎶🐝
With more Manchester dates coming this month, and the stage times for each concert now confirmed, authorities are once again urging Oasis fans to get there as early as possible – especially if they hope to get the best spot to watch the reunion shows.
It goes without saying that we hope everyone has an incredible time, but we can only echo their statement and would remind you all to stay hydrated, seek shade from direct sunlight when/where possible and look after each other.
And finally, for anyone with any questions ahead of Oasis’ Live ’25 reunion tour shows here in Manchester, you can find our full Heaton Park gig guide down below.