The developers behind Emerge Surf Birmingham announced publicly that they have lodged a planning application to install a Wavegarden Cove as part of a £25 million surf park facility on a 15-acre site in Coleshill, approximately seven miles to the east of Birmingham’s city centre.
Initial plans, subject to planning approval, show construction commencing late this year and the park opening in spring 2021.
Emerge Surf Birmingham will also be home to a surf school, surf shop, café and restaurant, multi-purpose fitness studio, physio and massage room and children’s play area.
With the closest surfable ocean waves more than 100 miles away, this new facility will be a heaven for landlocked surfers and those keen to try the sport for the first time.
Emerge Surf Birmingham is expected to create 100 full time equivalent jobs, attract around 250,000 visitors a year and deliver an annual economic boost of between £18 million-£21 million to the region. The development is aiming to use renewable energy and low carbon technologies to keep environmental impact to a minimum.
Current World Surf League Big Wave World Champion Grant ‘Twiggy’ Baker is on board as an ambassador for Emerge Surf, alongside the UK’s top professional surfers Peony Knight and Luke Dillon. Olympic gold medallist Tessa Sanderson CBE is the park’s non-surfing ambassador.
The United Kingdom is turning out to be a popular region in the world for Wavegarden’s wave making technology. Adventure Parc Snowdonia in North Wales opened in 2015 and uses Wavegarden’s first generation wavefoil system. “The Wave Bristol” has adopted the latest Wavegarden “Cove” technology and plan to open their doors to the public in November 2019. The Bristol developers also aim to develop another facility in London in the next few years. The Scots have no intention of being left out and for the past few years a Wavegarden facility has been under development in Edinburgh, Scotland.
Steve Price, Founder and CEO of Emerge Surf, said:
“It’s an incredibly exciting time in the development of surfing. The mental and physical benefits of the sport are increasingly understood and the 2020 Tokyo Olympics will hugely increase levels of interest and participation. In parallel, the significant strides made in wave pool technologies have the potential to make the sport accessible to all.
The Chief Executive of North Warwickshire Borough Council, Steve Maxey, described the region as “one of the most dynamic economies in the country,” the Wavegarden Cove will be easily accessible from the M6 and M42 motorways with more than 7.6 million people within a one hour drive of the venue and 27 million within two hours. It is also close to Birmingham Airport, Birmingham International Railway Station and the future HS2 Interchange Station, making it an extremely exciting destination for local, national and international visitors.
Fernando Odriozola, Co-Founder and Chief Commercial Officer of Wavegarden said:
“We are extremely excited about Emerge Surf’s plans for Birmingham. As a landlocked city with one of the largest market catchments in the UK, there is a great opportunity to introduce the thrill of surfing perfect waves to a whole new generation of surf enthusiasts.”
