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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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“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.”
Huge tunnel through the Peak District linking Manchester and Sheffield moves one step closer
Daisy Jackson
Ambitions plans to build a tunnel beneath the Peak District to connect Manchester and Sheffield has moved a step closer.
The proposed tunnel, which could completely transform travel between the two cities, has received a major £500,000 funding boost.
Picture the Eurostar, but plonk it going across the Pennines instead of London to Paris.
If it all goes ahead, journeys between South Yorkshire and Greater Manchester would be much quicker and easier, cutting times by up to 30 minutes, The Sheff reports.
The whopping £500,000 funding has been secured by infrastructure group Future Works, which is behind the proposed Trans-Pennine Connect scheme.
The money will be used to carry out technical and environmental feasibility studies to establish whether the project could actually go ahead.
The plans would see a 14-mile dual-carriageway tunnel built underneath the Peak District, potentially running between Langsett in South Yorkshire and Hollingworth or Tintwistle in Greater Manchester.
Michael Dnes, Future Works co-founder, said: “We’re very excited to be working with UK Dynamism Fund to unlock the next stage of our project.
“This funding will let us complete the technical and environmental feasibility studies needed to get the right outcomes for people and the Peak District as we deliver better transport connections across the Pennines.”
South Yorkshire Mayor Oliver Coppard has previously voiced his support for the proposals, describing them as a “really exciting opportunity”.
Speaking at a South Yorkshire Mayoral Combined Authority meeting back in September, he said: “We all know the frustrations of travelling between two of the North’s biggest and best cities.”
He also stressed that any plans would need to take environmental considerations very seriously, particularly the impact on wildlife in the Peak District.
The project is still in very early stages, and the funding doesn’t indicate that planning has been approved. We’ll keep you updated with any updates as and when we know.
So, what do you make of this proposal? Would you be keen for a drive through the tunnel?
New Greater Manchester travel warnings issued as Christmas Markets get underway
Emily Sergeant
New travel warnings and advice have been issued across Greater Manchester as the city’s annual Christmas Markets get underway.
Manchester Christmas Markets officially kicked off for 2026 last Friday (6 November), and that means the city region is gearing up to welcome millions of extra visitors over the next couple of months – no matter whether they’re heading to the Markets, shopping for Christmas gifts, or enjoying a festive night out with friends and family.
Around 3.4 million additional visitors are expected in the city centre during just the Christmas Markets period alone.
It’s predicted that almost 40% of that extra footfall will be concentrated into just nine days – including Black Friday weekend at the end of this month, and the first two weekends of December.
With all these extra visitors expected, Transport for Greater Manchester (TfGM) has issued travel warnings and advice – encouraging people to choose their travel method, route, and time wisely when planning their journeys.
Millions of journeys are set to be made on the region’s tram and rail networks, whilst walking and cycling are also touted as a ‘great option’ for shorter journeys.
🎅 The Manchester Christmas Markets are back in full force ready for your festive cheer until 22 December.
🚌 Shudehill Interchange and Piccadilly Gardens bus station are both a short walk away from all market locations.
🎄More info: https://t.co/rP2ltFTnUJ https://t.co/hOjmaUHBdS
More buses than ever will also be running across the city region this festive season, as this year is the first Christmas with 24-hour night buses serving every borough.
More double trams will be running on some of the busiest parts of the Metrolink network, including on the Altrincham-Bury line, and on the Trafford Park line during the Christmas period, while additional/enhanced tram services laid on for major events such as football fixtures and others expected to generate higher passenger numbers
Elsewhere, as part of efforts to encourage people to leave the car and give public transport a try, overnight parking restrictions are being lifted on existing Park & Ride locations, and some new pop-up Park & Rides will be opening soon.
“The growing popularity of Manchester and the massive programme of events means it will definitely be busy,” warned Danny Vaughn, who is the Chief Network Officer at TfGM.
“That’s why we’re encouraging people to try public transport if they usually drive, and urging everyone to give extra thought to how and when the travel as they plan their journeys.”
Councillor Mandie Shilton Godwin, who is the Executive Member for Clean Air, Environment and Transport at Manchester City Council, added: “As always, public transport remains the best option if you’re looking to enjoy Christmas in Manchester and we’d urge people to use the bus, tram or train rather than using their own car.
Daisy Jackson -
14th September 2023 
