Stoneweg InfraSport Invests in Surf Park in Birmingham

(eap) The UK’s largest artificial surf park is to be built near Birmingham. The plans for the Emerge Surf facility were first unveiled in 2019. Stoneweg InfraSport (a partnership between the two investment companies Stoneweg and Teras Capital) recently acquired the Emerge Surf development site in Coleshill, Birmingham from IM Properties and invests around GBP 50 million (approx. EUR 58.5 million) in the realization of the surf park destination.

The facility will be equipped with surf technology from the Spanish company WaveGarden. In addition to the “WaveGarden Cove” surf lagoon, there will be a surf academy, equipment rental, a surf store and a restaurant area with coworking spaces as well as additional amenities such as whirlpools, a playground and a pump track for mountain bikes. The founder of Emerge Surf, Steve Price, will serve as General Manager of the coming surf park. Completion of the facility is planned for the end of 2025. It is expected that the new destination will attract around 200,000 visitors per year.

Miguel de Lucas, Managing Partner at Teras Capital, commented: “We are excited to be leading this project, the second Stoneweg InfraSport investment. This new wave park in Birmingham represents our commitment to fuse sport and leisure, offering an innovative experience in what is the second largest metropolitan area in the UK. 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.”

“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,” added Jaume Sabater, CEO of Stoneweg.

Last year, Stoneweg and Teras Capital announced the development of a beach and surf facility in Madrid (c.f. EAP News of 15 June 2023). Feasibility studies are currently underway for a third facility in Málaga, on the Costa del Sol. ■