South Britannia

A Planned Community at Britannia Beach, BC

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Description

South Britannia is resort community planned around a 6-acre Wavegarden Cove wave pool. The project is in early planning and approval phases, but when it opens to the public the wave pool will offer a variety of waves that appeal to beginners, professional surfers, and everyone in between.

Assuming the wave pool is similar to other Wavegarden Cove installations like The Wave in Bristol, customers can expect to surf one of three areas in the pool. The advanced areas will produce waves up to 6.5 feet (2m) high on the face of the wave with shapes that vary from high-performance ripable walls to barrels. The intermediate areas will produce waves that are around 1m (3.5 feet) high with a open face that is ideal for practicing turns. Beginners will ride knee-high whitewater rollers in the shallower parts of the pool.

The waves produced at South Britannia’s wave pool will be very similar to the waves on display at the Wavegarden R&D center in Spain (below).

Photo: South Britannia
Photo: South Britannia
Photo: South Britannia

The Wavegarden Cove technology can create up to 1000 waves per hour, so each surfer can expect to ride 12-15 waves every one-hour session.

Tiger Bay Development, the developers behind the project, submitted a rezoning application to the Squamish Lillooet Regional District in September 2019. That plan proposes to turn an old gravel pit and 116 acres of brownfield into the surf pool, town center and mixed use community. Additional recreation options will include a bike pump-track, rock-climbing wall, playground, skate park, and outdoor field for recreation and events. The pedestrian-oriented town center will offer restaurants, retail, brewery and other services. Tourists will have a variety of accommodation options ranging from hotels to glamping facilities. A residential community will offer 1000 new homes and condos.

The Tiger Bay Development team is prioritizing environmental preservation and protection as well. 43% of the land will be dedicated to parks and green space, including 31 acres of reinstated forest. The team is also planning to revitalize Minaty Bay public park and beach, which is one of the only public beaches in the Howe Sound.

South Britannia Wave Pool Map With Numbers — Photo: South Britannia

At an “open house” event in September 2019, Tony Petricevic (head of development for Tiger Bay) said construction could start 18 months after rezoning and an Official Community Plan amendment. The first phase of development, which will include the wave pool and part of the Town Center, would open to the public in 2023 if everything goes according to plan. The rest of South Britannia will take another 20-25 years to complete.

The total expected cost of the project has not been released, but Petricevic says the wave pool will cost about $20 million CAD.

When the entire project is complete, South Britannia expects to employ 630 people and serve as home to 2500 people.

History

In 2012, Taicheng Development Corp. (now Tiger Bay Development) bought the land through for $30.5 million, according to media reports. Original plans included up to 4,000 units of housing on the site, but that has been scaled down significantly to the current proposal of roughly 1,000 units.

In September 2019, Tiger Bay Development held revealed their update plans at an open house event.

Sources: South Britannia, Dailyhive.com, Squamishchief.com