Huge water and adventure park to open just an hour from Greater Manchester

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.

Thirteen lodges will also be built on the lakeside and used as “transitional accommodation” for post-16-year-old students, to give them a greater degree of independence, but while still delivering the ongoing support and supervision that their care plans require. The new leisure activities will all operate on an advance booking system, meaning thrill-seekers will not just be able to pitch up and get stuck in.

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The plans are the second of what is expected to be a five-phase scheme that it is intended will eventually also deliver a climbing wall, high ropes course and 4G football pitch, subject to the further necessary planning permission. New walking and cycling routes – along with a nature trail – are also in the offing, while an extension of the nearby Ribble Steam Railway