A NEW £200 million indoor waterpark with giant four-storey slides is heading to the UK – and three possible locations are in the running.
The American chain already runs 23 mega waterparks across the US and Canada, offering families year-round splash-filled fun.
The huge Great Wolf Lodge resort could soon open in Derbyshire, Oxfordshire and Hampshire, with one site just 45 minutes from Nottingham.
The chain already runs 23 mega waterparks across the US and Canada, offering families year-round splash-filled fun.
Think towering slides, wave pools, multiple swimming pools, mini golf, arcades and its own cartoon mascot, Wiley the Wolf, all under one roof.
Building work has already started on a huge resort in Bicester, Oxfordshire, on the site of a former golf course.
The complex will include a massive indoor waterpark, hotel accommodation, restaurants, and family-friendly activities.
Great Wolf Lodge says the project will deliver a “world-class leisure facility to the region” and create “hundreds of job opportunities”.
Another site is earmarked for Clowne, Derbyshire, near the site of a colliery that shut back in 1961.
If approved, the project could bring up to 500 jobs and would feature a hotel, conference centre, golf facilities, games arcade and restaurants.
Bolsover District Council leader Jane Yates said: “This is an exciting project that will certainly put us on the map.
“One of our key priorities is growth and the creation of jobs.
“This proposal not only meets this but will provide us with leisure opportunities fit for 21st-century living.”
A public consultation with villagers will take place on May 20 to let locals have their say.
Day passes will also be on offer, so families can pop in just for the waterpark without booking a stay.
Great Wolf Resorts says construction on the Derbyshire resort is expected to start in 2028 and last around two years – meaning it could open as soon as 2030.
Another possible location is being considered in Hampshire, though no building work has started yet.
Prices in the US start from around £150 per night for a family of four – not far off what you’d pay for a midweek Center Parcs stay.
And with the water temperature set at a toasty 29C, it’s designed to be enjoyed even in the coldest months of the year.
