A £50m wave park is coming to Birmingham with a surfing lagoon and 1,000 waves an hour

The former Emerge Surf development site near Birmingham has been acquired by by two retail investment companies in a deal which paves the way for a huge wave park near the city.

Stoneweg InfraSport has acquired the Coleshill site - which is just seven miles from Birmingham - from IM Properties, in a £50m commitment deal that is expected to now see the world class surf and leisure facility open near the city.

The new development is set to include a 5.4-acre man-made Wave Garden Cove surfing lagoon that will be able to generate 1,000 waves per hour, up to two metres high. The company manager Steve Price is due to remain as general manager of the wave park. which is set for completion in 2025.

The wave park is expected to welcome up to 200,000 visitors per year once it opens. A surf academy, equipment rental and surf store, restaurant areas with coworking spaces and additional recreational activities including hot tubs, a playground and pump track are all planned for the development. Emerge Surf Birmingham was originally unveiled in 2019 and it received the backing of North Warwickshire Borough Council’s Planning and Development Board in 2020.

What's been said about the deal?

Jaume Sabater, chief executive of Stoneweg, added: "This project will see Stoneweg to combine its real estate expertise and commitment to social impact through the delivery of a ground-breaking new development that brings one of the world's most popular sports to the UK's second largest metropolitan area. 

"We are also excited to have closed our first investment in the UK, one of Europe's key real estate markets and one which has witnessed a strong post-covid bounce back in demand for leisure activity.

"Our InfraSport strategy extends our track record of continually innovating and diversifying our product range to reflect changing consumer behaviour and to meet the demands of institutional capital for exposure to dynamic, experiential real estate that will deliver strong, long-term returns. 

"This is a unique opportunity, alongside a best-in-class partner, to be a first mover in delivering a high-quality, pan-European portfolio of leisure-led destinations, that capitalises on the growth prospects of what is one of the few truly global sports."