A new water sports park and leisure facility will be opening just an hour away from Greater Manchester after planning permission has been.
The development – on the edge of the River Ribble and close to Preston Marina – will involve a radical revamp of the existing Trax Motor Centre site and will offer sports including canoeing, stand-up paddle boarding and water-skiing.
The current operation – off Wallend Road – has long been centred around motocross and go-karting which, while open to the public, is part of a wider project providing training and education facilities for children in care.
Under the blueprint that has now been approved by Preston City Council’s planning committee, just under a third of the 33 hectare plot – recently christened Phoenix Park – will be redeveloped to create a “leisure lake”, dry ski slope and mountain biking track.