Pictures show the potential look for a brand new £100m water park in Glasgow, with the UK's first venue, in Manchester, set to feature an all-season beach.
In Autumn last year, we revealed plans for a huge indoor water park and spa resort in our city had taken a step closer to becoming reality.
Therme Group, the company behind the resort plans, have 'signed terms' with Peel L&P for their second UK wellbeing project on a 21.5 acre site on the banks of the Clyde, next to the Riverside Museum.
READ MORE: £100m Glasgow water park and spa resort next to Riverside Museum edges closer to reality
Insider reported in November that Therme are aiming to submit a planning application to Glasgow City Council in early 2022 for the huge spa, which is expected to cost around £100m to build and be around 320,000 sq ft in size.
Therme Group is known for its landmark entertainment and wellbeing destinations, including a huge indoor waterpark in Bucharest. There, the park includes water-based activities, fitness programming, attractions, wellbeing therapies, art and culture, botanics, food, and nutrition.
The spa in Glasgow is set to feature therapeutic mineral pools, warm water lagoons and a health and wellbeing centre, as well as a vertical farm where fresh produce will be grown for guests.
Plans for the water park and spa include for the construction of a bridge across the River Kelvin, linking the Riverside Museum to Therme Scotland and expanding access to the Glasgow waterfront.
A second community bridge could also be built by Glasgow City Council over the River Clyde, between Govan and Partick.
Therme Scotland will be the group's second wellbeing destination in the UK after the £250m Therme Manchester project, which is also based on a site owned by Peel L&P.
And new images of an extraordinary indoor beach at Therme Manchester, which will include lapping waves on soft sands, have now been revealed, as reported by Manchester Evening News.
The £250m well-being resort and waterpark is set to boast an incredible 20 pools and 35 water slides and will be built next to Manchester's Trafford Centre. However, it's also reported the initially anticipated opening date for late 2023 has now been set back to 2025.
New details announced by owners include immersive digital art features as well as an on-site urban farm and botanical gardens. The vast site will all sit inside glass domes on the TraffordCity site.
Bosses say the combination of features highlights Therme’s aim to be far more than just a waterpark and spa. They are aiming to "create an integrated experience to benefit physical and mental health".
Therme’s updated plans, which are being delivered in partnership with Peel L&P, will use the very latest technology to make the development even more sustainable and deliver additional features for visitors. This includes the world’s first "living waterslides" with a 3D printed superstructure to house thousands of plants, as part of its ‘next generation’ water park area.
As part of its outreach work, Therme has announced that it will also include a visitor and education centre on site. This will be where school and community groups can learn about sustainability, food and nature.
Bosses have renewed their commitment to progress with the project, although building work will now not begin until 2023, pushing back the planned opening to around 2025. When it opens it will become the UK's largest indoor waterpark.
"Our commitment to bring Therme Manchester to the UK is as strong as ever," said Stelian Iacob, senior vice president of Therme Group and CEO of Therme Group UK.
"Expert independent studies have shown the hugely positive economic and social impact that Therme Manchester will have, helping to create jobs, economic prosperity and bringing health and wellbeing to the daily lives of millions of guests.”
James Whittaker, Executive Director of Development at Peel L&P said: “We are proud to be working in partnership with Therme Group to develop this exceptional wellbeing resort in TraffordCity. Therme Manchester will lead the way in health and wellbeing and with the updated plans now including the UK’s first all-season urban beach and the world’s first living waterslides.
"We are excited to continue working with Therme Manchester to deliver this innovative health and wellbeing experience in TraffordCity, the UK’s foremost retail, leisure and commercial destination.”
Therme is aiming to submit its revised plans to Trafford Council in the summer, with construction of the development scheduled to begin in 2023, with a build time of around two years.
A planned opening date for the Glasgow resort is yet to be set.
Therme Manchester will be the first of their planned UK sites for the "urban oasis", with plans to also take it to London and Wales in the future, alongside Glasgow. The UK rollout reflects Therme’s ‘90/90’ vision, working to make a Therme accessible to 90% of the UK population within a 90-minute travel time.
For more about the Therme Glasgow project, you can visit their website here.
