WaveGarden is bringing perfect waves for surfing surrounded by a sandy beach to the UK’s city of Birmingham
By News Release | February 16, 2024
SAN SEBASTIAN — Stoneweg InfraSport, a partnership between Stoneweg and Teras Capital dedicated to developing man-made urban surf destinations in Europe, has committed to invest £50 million to deliver the UK’s largest Wavegarden Cove. This follows the recent collaboration of investors who joined forces to build a Wavegarden surf park in Madrid, Spain.
Josema Odriozola, CEO of Wavegarden, supports the strategic merger of these two investor groups. “Stoneweg InfraSport shares our vision of creating destinations with great waves and idyllic beaches, bringing surfing to landlocked cities like Madrid and Birmingham and making the sport accessible to everyone,” said Odriozola. “They will be a great asset for the community.”
Birmingham is the United Kingdom’s second most populous city, with nearly eight million people – including 1.4 million school, college, and university students – within one hour of the surf park site. The development, strategically located with excellent road and rail access, will have as its central feature the 5.4-acre Wavegarden Cove surfing lagoon, along with a sandy beach and a vast array of amenities such as a surf academy, equipment rental, and surf store. Additionally, restaurant areas featuring coworking spaces and further recreational activities including hot tubs, a playground, and a pump track will be available for the more than 200,000 visitors expected annually.
Miguel de Lucas, Managing Partner at Teras Capital, expressed: “This new surf park in Birmingham represents our commitment to fuse sport and leisure, offering an innovative experience. This project will not only provide access to urban surfing for millions of people, but will also become an international benchmark in terms of the facilities and entertainment offering for visitors.”
The Wavegarden Cove technology is the most sustainable in the market and can create 1,000 waves per hour, offering the largest wave menu with more than 20 waves of customizable sizes and shapes. The surf park will incorporate the latest in sustainable design and construction practices, with the wave generator designed to recuperate and reuse part of the energy created in the wave generation process, minimizing energy loss in the transmission of forces from the machinery to the water.
Jaume Sabater, CEO of Stoneweg, added: “This project will see Stoneweg 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.”
Leveraging Stoneweg’s deep operational real estate expertise and commitment to creating iconic leisure destinations that enrich individuals and local communities, Stoneweg InfraSport is currently undergoing feasibility studies for what would be its third wave park development, in Malaga (Spain), on the Costa del Sol.