Alton Towers have this month submitted a revised proposal for Project Sunshine, the new CBeebies Land junior coaster, somewhat scaling back the proposal for what they want to build on the Postman Pat Parcel Post site.
Whilst the ride itself appears to be identical to the original intention, the major change comes in the removal of the proposed maintenance structure, which would have linked into the backstage area between CBeebies Land and Towers Street.
The original plans, including maintenance shed:
And the updated plans, with the coaster more centred in the site:
As a result of the change in building configuration, the coaster has been relocated closer to the centre of the site, resulting in reconfiguration of the various queue lines and exit paths, simplifying the overall plan. The relocation also allows for more of the existing greenery to be retained, with fewer trees removed along the back of the site.
The loss of the maintenance structure is accompanied by a significant reduction of the size of the station itself and a reconfiguration of the layout. Notably, a large pair of windows have replaced the original location of the ride’s exit path, which now crosses back over the track and out through the other side of the building. The overall height of the building is also lower, though it is still tall enough to contain three floors, including a new maintenance bay underneath the station.
A view of the original station with maintenance building:
Compared with the new, smaller station building:
The other significant change seems to result in less theming opportunities for the ride. The original plans had 11 Theming Areas, most of which are still clearly present in the updated plans. However, several of the queue line theming areas have been lost, with the theming in the queue now focused in three areas, one of which seems to have had a significant redesign, as it does not correspond with any of the theming areas of the original plans.
The park original submitted plans for a new 2026 coaster for CBeebies Land back in December and it would seem that the recent changes are in part at the request of the local planning authority, but also include clear cost efficiency savings for the park as well.
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