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New Fencing at Alton Towers

KingNemesis said:
I have made a petition that I would like you to ''sign'' if you have a moment:

https://www.change.org/en-GB/petitions/alton-towers-stop-ruining-the-landscape-of-this-beautiful-park
Click to expand...

More than happy to sign - but I do think you should be passing on credit for the image to josht somewhere on that page - an oversight on your part I'm sure. :)

Also - the actual petition text needs a fair bit of work in my opinion, as just saying 'Stop destroying the landscape of the park' (paraphrased) does not go far enough really, as it also involves them undoing some of the recent changes.

On a separate note - I do wonder how long the Gardens will be fully accessible for if Towers are blocking off just one slightly raised path!
 
Another photo taken from the TS Facebook page:

1376323_617645778305870_1803941455_n.jpg


This is hideous and pathetic. It looks utterly stupid. Who on earth decided it was a good idea? Has there ever been a serious accident as a result of the walkway? Not that I know of. It's been fine for decades. Are humans suddenly more stupid? Probably not.

If they thought it wasn't up to safe standards (which maybe it wasn't) then carry out some repair work. Don't just fence it off like that.

I would fully support some sort of group letter/petition/complaint to English Heritage and/or Alton Towers. They cannot be allowed to get away with destroying the beautiful landscape of the park.

:)
 
Jonathan said:
I'd be all for organising a letter and/or a petition to English Heritage.
Click to expand...

The sad thing is i have just been through the planning application for these fences and it was designed in consultation with English Heritage.

I really have no words for the idiocy H&S is causing in this country. This is all down to the Chessington incident and Warwick.
 
A petition to Towers is utterly pointless, they won't care.

The only potentially effective method of action is writing to English Heritage, enclosing photos of the fence, and doing some actual research (like, books and stuff, not Wikipedia) into the legal obligations that the park have to English Heritage.

Edit: After reading Dave's post, there's no point I guess.
 
The photo on this page clearly shows why the fence is in place, since the steps are so worn they are actually easily able to be considered as a slip/trip/potential death hazard...

Clearly, the erection of a fence is cheaper than replacing stonework, which is depressing...
 
Benzin said:
The photo on this page clearly shows why the fence is in place, since the steps are so worn they are actually easily able to be considered as a slip/trip/potential death hazard...

Clearly, the erection of a fence is cheaper than replacing stonework, which is depressing...
Click to expand...

I think it's more a fact the incidents at Chessington and Warwick scared Merlin, as this is not the only fence that has been installed this closed season, and there are pending applications for fences in the gardens.
 
Long time reader, first time poster so hi.

Was reading this and thinking how hideous and pointless this was, then I remembered something from my trip from February half term. I was just coming onto the path from the haunted hollow when an ambulance car came off that path round the corner, complete with children on the back seat looking a bit shocked. I have a feeling this may have something to do with it.

Still, doesn't take away from how ugly they are.
 
Dave said:
Benzin said:
The photo on this page clearly shows why the fence is in place, since the steps are so worn they are actually easily able to be considered as a slip/trip/potential death hazard...

Clearly, the erection of a fence is cheaper than replacing stonework, which is depressing...
Click to expand...

I think it's more a fact the incidents at Chessington and Warwick scared Merlin, as this is not the only fence that has been installed this closed season, and there are pending applications for fences in the gardens.
Click to expand...

But just focusing on this latest fencing, it's clear that the eroded steps are the reason we have this...

Obviously the Chessie incident produced a lot of panic, hence why they added fencing on the Tomb queue which are easier to climb... Cos Merlin...
 
Dave said:
Jonathan said:
I'd be all for organising a letter and/or a petition to English Heritage.
Click to expand...

The sad thing is i have just been through the planning application for these fences and it was designed in consultation with English Heritage.

I really have no words for the idiocy H&S is causing in this country. This is all down to the Chessington incident and Warwick.
Click to expand...

So it would be fair to assume that for whatever reason, Towers/Merlin have decided that they needed these fences and English Heritage have merely agreed to their plans? So if any complaint was to be made, it would have to go directly to the Towers/Merlin. It's good to know what the situation is anyway. Nice one Dave.
 
BarryZola said:
Dave said:
Jonathan said:
I'd be all for organising a letter and/or a petition to English Heritage.
Click to expand...

The sad thing is i have just been through the planning application for these fences and it was designed in consultation with English Heritage.

I really have no words for the idiocy H&S is causing in this country. This is all down to the Chessington incident and Warwick.
Click to expand...

So it would be fair to assume that for whatever reason, Towers/Merlin have decided that they needed these fences and English Heritage have merely agreed to their plans? So if any complaint was to be made, it would have to go directly to the Towers/Merlin. It's good to know what the situation is anyway. Nice one Dave.
Click to expand...

I think H&S have decided they need the fencing (internal maybe not the executive). but EH will have had design veto.
 
BarryZola said:
Dave said:
Jonathan said:
I'd be all for organising a letter and/or a petition to English Heritage.
Click to expand...

The sad thing is i have just been through the planning application for these fences and it was designed in consultation with English Heritage.

I really have no words for the idiocy H&S is causing in this country. This is all down to the Chessington incident and Warwick.
Click to expand...

So it would be fair to assume that for whatever reason, Towers/Merlin have decided that they needed these fences and English Heritage have merely agreed to their plans? So if any complaint was to be made, it would have to go directly to the Towers/Merlin. It's good to know what the situation is anyway. Nice one Dave.
Click to expand...

The original plans to install the fencing along the walkway were refused on the grounds of the excess damage the installation would cause to the bridge and the appearance.

From my own experiences of working with listed buildings, Alton Towers will have more flexibility with planning if they are proposing changes with the intention of improving appreciation and interpretation of heritage assets.

Might this be a stop-gap until they decide how they want to use these in future?
 
This is the total opposite of improving appreciation. Not only that, it will inevitably lead to bottle necks and has further ruined the beautiful architecture of the days gone by. It wouldn't surprise me if the floor was coated in bubble wrap by opening day.
 
Dave said:
Jonathan said:
I'd be all for organising a letter and/or a petition to English Heritage.
Click to expand...

The sad thing is i have just been through the planning application for these fences and it was designed in consultation with English Heritage.
Click to expand...

Well there we are. Nothing we can do.

You know, next time I'm at the park, having a blast on The Smiler, Oblivion, Nemesis, Air, Rita, Th13teen and all the other attractions that I love at Alton Towers, I'll look at this fence and it'll fair spoil my day, I'm sure. Every time I go to Alton Towers, this walk from the Towers to Mutiny Bay has always been the absolute highlight for me, as I'm sure it has been for every other member here. It's the first place I think of when I think of the park.

Seriously, the online reaction to this has been ridiculous. It's a fence around a bit of wall in a part of the park that nobody here barely thought about before now. And it doesn't even look THAT terrible.

I'm sure there's a reason for the fence being there. It's not the prettiest thing in the World and we'd all rather it wasn't there, but it's there now and it's hardly something we'll be caring about a month from now.

There'd be less reaction if Nemesis was demolished, I'm sure.
 
Quite ironic that they've installed a fence to stop people from walking on a raised path, but you can still freely walk right to the edge of the lake (just before the fence on either side) which has no fencing whatsoever.
 
Oh yes, no one will care about this in a month or two. Although all the outrage over this is well justified. Nothing wrong with caring about the aesthetic look of historic parts of Alton.
 
Gojira said:
BarryZola said:
Dave said:
Jonathan said:
I'd be all for organising a letter and/or a petition to English Heritage.
Click to expand...

The sad thing is i have just been through the planning application for these fences and it was designed in consultation with English Heritage.

I really have no words for the idiocy H&S is causing in this country. This is all down to the Chessington incident and Warwick.
Click to expand...

So it would be fair to assume that for whatever reason, Towers/Merlin have decided that they needed these fences and English Heritage have merely agreed to their plans? So if any complaint was to be made, it would have to go directly to the Towers/Merlin. It's good to know what the situation is anyway. Nice one Dave.
Click to expand...

Alton Towers will have more flexibility with planning if they are proposing changes with the intention of improving appreciation and interpretation of heritage assets.
Click to expand...

They've got a mixed record in recent years off the top of my head. They did great work in the Picture Gallery, Armoury and Octagon, as they wanted to build a new theme park attraction (Hex). They did a great job in refurbishing the House Conservatory also as part of a planning deal to build a different attraction. They've also done a good job in replacing the stained glass windows in the Music Room of the house but unfortunately this has been off limits in recent times due to a seasonal attraction (The Sanctuary). I've had the impression in recent years that an appreciation of heritage is of the lowest concern for the powers that be at Alton. It's a shame but I suppose cash and profits rule everything nowadays as usual.
 
Shockadelica said:
Dave said:
Jonathan said:
I'd be all for organising a letter and/or a petition to English Heritage.
Click to expand...

The sad thing is i have just been through the planning application for these fences and it was designed in consultation with English Heritage.
Click to expand...

Well there we are. Nothing we can do.

You know, next time I'm at the park, having a blast on The Smiler, Oblivion, Nemesis, Air, Rita, Th13teen and all the other attractions that I love at Alton Towers, I'll look at this fence and it'll fair spoil my day, I'm sure. Every time I go to Alton Towers, this walk from the Towers to Mutiny Bay has always been the absolute highlight for me, as I'm sure it has been for every other member here. It's the first place I think of when I think of the park.

Seriously, the online reaction to this has been ridiculous. It's a fence around a bit of wall in a part of the park that nobody here barely thought about before now. And it doesn't even look THAT terrible.

I'm sure there's a reason for the fence being there. It's not the prettiest thing in the World and we'd all rather it wasn't there, but it's there now and it's hardly something we'll be caring about a month from now.

There'd be less reaction if Nemesis was demolished, I'm sure.
Click to expand...

Yeah, let's not care about ruining the beauty and heritage of the park. ::)
 
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