Build Under Way on £450m Therme Group Wellness Resort beside the Trafford Centre

Construction has officially begun on Therme Manchester, a £450 million wellness and water resort beside the Trafford Centre, billed by backers as a once-in-a-generation project for Greater Manchester and the wider North. Enabling works finished in late 2024. A formal event on Friday 12 September marked the start of the main build, with opening targeted for 2028.

The development sits at TraffordCity and is being delivered by Therme Group with Sir Robert McAlpine appointed to manage construction. The scheme is expected to create about 2,500 jobs during the build and 650 permanent roles once operational, according to the developer and local partners. Officials say the location was chosen for transport access and to maximise public use.

Therme Manchester is described as the UK’s largest wellbeing resort. Plans include swimming and thermal bathing areas, spa and fitness zones, immersive art installations, sustainable gardens, restaurants and cafés. Concept imagery also points to family water attractions alongside quieter adult spaces. Supporters say the venue aims to attract roughly 1.7 to 2 million visits a year once open.

Professor David Russell, chief executive of Therme UK, said the project is “for the community,” with a focus on health, social value and accessibility. Peel Waters, the landowner and partner at TraffordCity, called the scheme “transformational,” citing regeneration of a key brownfield plot and the scale of expected employment.

The resort has been in preparation for several years and has seen programme changes as design work and site readiness progressed. With the main construction phase now under way, the developer and partners maintain that completion remains set for the end of 2028, with a specific opening date to follow closer to the time.

Local leaders view the project as part of a broader push to draw investment, visitors and leisure spend to Greater Manchester. Trafford Council called it a “visionary development” aligned to objectives around a thriving local economy, improved health outcomes and sustainable reuse of land.

If delivered to plan, Therme Manchester would add a high-capacity indoor leisure destination to the North West, combining spa, water and cultural elements under one roof, with a stated aim of widening access to preventative health and wellbeing activities year-round.