Plans have been submitted to Trafford Council for a huge 3,000-capacity, purpose-built sports and ice arena in TraffordCity, Manchester, which would see the TraffordCity Arena partly let to Planet Ice. TraffordCity Arena will be one of Planet Ice’s biggest UK venues, and their 15th Ice Arena in the UK, featuring state-of-the-art ice hockey and skating facilities which will also convert into a multi-use event space suitable for on and off ice entertainment.
Situated next to the Chill Factore, Fives, iFLY and The Padel Club TraffordCity, the three-acre development will be located on the former Soccer Dome site. The land will be acquired from regeneration specialists Peel Waters, who are the master planners of TraffordCity and cleared the site in preparation of future leisure developments in mid-2023.
Exceptional user experience and hospitality will be at the forefront of the TraffordCity Arena operation. Visitors to the arena will be able to choose from several varied and inclusive onsite food and drink offerings, including grab and go options, a stylish family dining restaurant and high-end sports bar – VIP and corporate areas have been included in the plans as well as private party rooms.
The TraffordCity Arena will have innovative technology and infrastructure embedded throughout its design to allow other uses of the arena being able to host virtual reality immersive experiences, small concerts, screenings and live entertainment.
James Whittaker, Managing Director of Peel Waters said: “Bringing in the right partners to work with is fundamental to all of our Peel Waters projects and we are very excited to be working in partnership with ICITIES, Planet Ice and Manchester Storm to bring this fantastic new facility and offering to TraffordCity which is widely recognised as the UK’s leading retail and leisure destination.”
The new arena at TraffordCity will mean Trafford will have two ice leisure facilities within the borough. The two ice pads will bring the borough up to the standards of competing cities like Sheffield, Nottingham and London which offer at least two pads. Both Altrincham and TraffordCity will be available for training, playing, coaching and teaching, supporting aspirations to grow the UK’s interest and talent in ice sports.
The purpose-built facility could provide a further boost for top-flight ice hockey team, Manchester Storm. The club has confirmed they are now in advanced negotiations to play out of the new state-of-the-art facility in TraffordCity, which will be able to accommodate an additional 1,000 fans and spectators in comparison with their current site in Altrincham, known locally to fans as ‘The Storm Shelter’.
The new ice arena will also include standing sections and encourage interaction and audience participation to add to the electrifying atmosphere the new arena will create for spectators. Planet Ice will also be working with Trafford Council to upgrade the older facility in Altrincham.
Ryan Finnerty, General Manager of Manchester Storm said: “Manchester Storm are delighted to be in advanced negotiations to be a partner alongside Peel Waters, Planet Ice and ICITIES for the development of TraffordCity Ice Arena”.
If planning permission is granted, the estimated build time of the TraffordCity ice-arena and event space will be approximately 12-15 months once construction starts on site As always, we’ll keep you updated.