After a somewhat slow and painful 3-year process (how many Wavegarden Vimeo videos can you watch?), last week ‘The Wave: Bristol‘ announced that it’s finally been granted full planning approval by South Gloucestershire Council to build its £6 million Wavegarden project on the outskirts of Bristol. They plan to start earthworks for the artificial wave pool within the next couple of months and hope to be open for business by summer 2015.

The project is the second of its kind to be approved in the U.K., with Surf Snowdonia‘s Wavegarden having already begun earthworks in March.

In a new development, engineers at Wavegarden who have been working hard at developing a 1.9m high version have revealed they’ve been playing around with the addition of two parallel reefs to the main boardwalk that will have the effect of adding an additional two smaller waves along the outside of the lake,  in theory doubling the capacity of the wave park. But as yet no life-size prototype exists of this version.

The 40-acre development site will be set just north of Bristol, outside of Easter Compton, where the core facility building will provide a cafe and educational space to support school visits.