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New Openings
Plans are about to come to life for a new £250 million wellness resort in the North
And it's going to be well worth the hour-long drive from Leeds to Trafford to sample the 35 water slides, 25 pools, and 30 saunas across the 28-acre site.
The one hour journey from Leeds to Trafford in Manchester is going to be well worth it.
A new £250 million wellness resort is due to be built one hour from Leeds at the former EventCity space at the Trafford Centre.
Now, work to bring the UK's first city-based wellness resort in Manchester closer to a reality has taken a huge step forward this week, reports The Manc.
It has been confirmed that plans to start work have progressed with preparations to clear the current EventCity site in Trafford, as developers Peel L&P submit plans to Trafford Council to demolish the 28,000 sq m former conference and exhibition space on Barton Dock Road to make way for the £250 million flagship Therme Manchester resort.
Dubbed an ‘urban oasis’, the resort - which is opposite the Trafford Centre, and is being built by Therme Group - will feature a whopping 35 water slides, 25 pools, and 30 saunas and stream rooms across the 28-acre site.
It'll also be home to the UK's first all-season beach with real lapping waves.
Therme Group is known for its state-of-the-art wellbeing destinations, and has seen phenomenal success with similar resorts across Europe over the past 20 years.
Therme Manchester will be the UK's first city-based wellness resort / Credit: Therme Manchester
Therme Manchester is set to be the first-of-its-kind in the country, and will combine water activities with wellbeing treatments, art, nature and technology to create a “unique experience never before seen in the UK”.
The pools at the resort will be both indoors and outdoors, and over 1,500 palm trees will be planted to create a tropical feel.
Made up of several domed glass structures, the tropical environment will also feature wave simulation pools and exotic palm tree relaxation areas, along with warm-water lagoons, botanical gardens, swim-up bars, and therapeutic mineral baths, and, in true Manchester style, there are also plans for rooftop beehives too.
It's hoped that the honey from the local bees can be used in recipes at the on-site restaurants, as well as in spa treatments.
Therme Group says the development will "significantly boost economic growth" in the Greater Manchester region, and will create 1,200 jobs and over £4.5 billion economic impact.
Peel L&P's Executive Director of Development James Whittaker says it's an "attraction like no other".
He said: "It's incredibly exciting to be making preparations to bring the UK’s first resort of this kind to TraffordCity for people of all ages to enjoy.
"It will attract visitors and investment from across the globe to TraffordCity and the wider city region and we’re proud to be the host venue for such an exceptional development with a strong focus on sustainability, health and wellbeing."
The 28-acre site will feature 35 water slides, 25 pools, and 30 saunas and stream rooms / Credit: Therme Group
Richard Land - Chief Development Officer at Therme Group UK - added: "We are delighted to have reached this critical stage with Peel L&P, which marks the beginning of on-site works for Therme Manchester.
"An iconic project for the city as well as for the entire UK, this milestone confirms the arrival of Therme in the North."
Construction is set to begin in 2023, with a build time of approximately two years.
Featured Image - Therme Group
New Openings
A new rotisserie chicken restaurant promising to be ‘clucking delicious’ is coming to Leeds
A restaurant and cafe is coming to Leeds city centre - and it's all centred around rotisserie chicken.
We live in a world where food trends are really leading the way that we eat.
From matcha and frozen yoghurt to stacked sub sandwiches and acai bowls - it seems us foodies just can't help but jump on the ever evolving bandwagon.
And now there's a new one, rotisserie chicken.
A number of restaurants have popped up all over the UK serving up this protein-lover's dream, and now Leeds is getting in on the action.
Rotisserie Club will be taking over the old Shokupan site on Wellington Street in the city centre and although we don't have many details just yet, we've got a small inclination of what's in store.
It seems that in the morning the space will be occupied by Habitum, a trendy coffee shop that opened on Lower Briggate last September.
They'll be slinging out all the caffeinated beverages throughout the morning until lunch time hits and everything rotisserie chicken takes over.
We're talking wraps, bowls, salads, pittas - all jam-packed with deliciously tender chicken cooked on the rotisserie.
Announcing the very exciting news to Instagram, the Rotisserie Club said: "The secret is out..Leeds is about to get its own Rotisserie Club with an Habitum to boot.
"More details will be revealed in time, but expect us at the back end of Sep - early Oct. Habitum will look after the AM’s with Rotisserie Club stepping in from lunch.
"Two new quality additions to the area - from a bunch of familiar faces from the Leeds Hospitality scene.."
Historic Leeds watermill to reopen as a canal-side pub, cafe and museum
Clementine Hall
One of the best-preserved mills in Britain has been taken over by four new owners.
And they've got big plans for the place.
Will Habergham, Terry George, Michael Rothwell and Kirk Allen have taken ownership of Thwaite Mills - a Grade II listed site at Stourton, Leeds, that will start to undergo a full restoration this week, more than two years after the mill closed to the public in April 2024.
The work is expected to take around 12 months and will be carried out alongside volunteers from Friends of Thwaite Mills, the supporters' group the new owners are relaunching as part of the project.
Image: Supplied
No reopening date has been set yet, but early plans include reopening the mill as a working museum, a pub and cafe with canal-side seating, and fully landscaped grounds free for walkers, runners and dog walkers to use.
Not only that, but a programme of free family events is planned and the owners are exploring the return of the craft fairs and car boot sales that the site was once known for.
"Thwaite Mills was saved by its community once before, and it'll be brought back by its community now," said Will Habergham, director of Thwaite Mills.
"We're not going to disappear for a year and come back with a ribbon to cut. We want people watching it happen, turning up, and telling us what they want this place to be."
Built between 1823 and 1825, Thwaite Mills worked first as a flax mill and later produced whiting and paint, operating commercially until 1975, when a broken weir threatened its future. Local volunteers stepped in to save it the following year, and it opened as a museum in 1990, welcoming visitors until it closed in April 2024.
And now, Thwaite Mills is set to enter a brand-new era and you can follow the restoration journey here.
The Hoot -
6th September 2022 
