Tenders will be invited soon as Austrian-based Therme Group readies itself for construction of a new 28-acre spa and wellbeing campus next to Intu's Trafford Centre, Manchester. Work on-site is due for completion in 2023.

But Manchester is to be the first of many such schemes, Therme has now said. The Viennese business said that the £250M Manchester project will be the first of what could be a chain of large-scale wellness developments around the UK, with London and other regional locations on its list.

Therme, which already operates on the European mainland, is looking at locations in London, Wales and Scotland, as it aims to have a resort within reach of 90% of the population, Leisure Opportunities reported.

Therme said it is in advanced discussions with local councils in several locations, with a focus on larger population centres. The resorts will provide an indoor ecosystem as part of an affordable wellbeing experience close to home, it said.

Therme looked at sites in Leeds and Liverpool before settling on the site of Peel Group’s 301K SF EventCity exhibition space in Manchester.

The wellbeing resort, which will include botanical gardens and wild flower meadows, will see 700K SF of resort buildings, along with landscaping and public spaces. In all, there will be around 1.1M SF of floorspace under an undulating glass roof.

Therme said last month that the Manchester resort’s construction schedule was still on track and that it was due for delivery in 2023.

Contact David Thame at david.thame@bisnow.com.