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Stargazing Pods

Makes perfect sense to add ‘yet’ even more accommodation, given the park is high flying with all round investment and the hotels are full up. Not like one of them is running part time now.

Who needs rides when you can cram dozens of accommodation units in one place. It’s ‘apparently’ what the people want.

Me when Merlin stop prioritising accommodation over attractions
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Dave said:
Irony is the people you are arguing with don’t see the place through rose tinted glasses either. They criticise it but they actually pull apart the things that are bad, comment on the things that are good and give evidence to back it up.

Over exaggeration helps no one, it deminshes the impact of the things that actually need sorting.
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AstroDan said:
but vans serving food is dire.
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Wooaahh! Hang on! You can't just come around here and start criticising food vans, calling them dire! That's incredibly sledgehammer.

Some people around this country don't even have access to food vans! Where's your evidence that these food vans are dire?? You could at least pull these things apart and comment on the things that are good.

Try to be more positive about what Towers are offering here. I'm sure there will be quality food for the prices charged, and the vans are likely to be suitably decorated with vinyl graphics (feat. Leek Signs). It's not the best but it's still a decent themed experience.

Here's my evidence - I know this for a fact because an acquaintance who works in the car park told me so (I met him once, he's my mothers friend's cousin). 100% fact these will be perfect for the camping pods. 100%.
 
Just noticed on Twitter - Towers Towers are showing an updated planning application for this farse. I cant link to it unfortunately
 
On the updated planning document all the pods are now around the outside of the site, with an open patch of grass in the middle. Maybe they're planning on introducing an option of camping onsite? :p
 

Ha! Serves them right for cutting right back from the original Enchanted Village expansion to these crap barrels. They shouldn't be so cheap! Really hoping that they won't get approved, even if that is very unlikely. :(
 
Oh dear! What a blow for Towers! Does this mean that the permission is likely to be rejected and/or withdrawn? Or was it approved, but they have revoked the approval? I don't know planning permission jargon, so I have no idea what that word means.

I wonder what the locals' concerns about layout and looks were, though, as you won't be able to see these from outside the park.
 
I really cant get my head around this planning application.

  • The current situation is that Tree Top Quest is closed due to cut backs.
  • Splash Landings is closed part of the year due to lack of demand (and cut backs).
  • Theme park opening has been cut back and number of rides reduced.
  • Waterpark opening is cut back and the outdoor section is open just a few hours a day if you are lucky.
  • The hotel restaurants cant cope as it is with demand at peak Breakfast and Dinner times
  • Hotel entertainment is limited and all finished by 10.30pm
  • Prices to stay over are extortionate for the quality of the product received.

So why are they still looking to pursue extra accommodation as opposed to fixing the existing resort?

The only thing I can think which makes sense is that by building more accommodation, they are increasing the value of the "resort" and the land upon which it stands, therefore, making it a lot more valuable should they sell the resort in the future. That's the only thing I can think.

There are so so so many other things desperate for investment at the moment at Towers, this just doesnt make any logical sense at all. Im glad the planning has been deferred.
 
Matt N said:
Oh dear! What a blow for Towers! Does this mean that the permission is likely to be rejected and/or withdrawn? Or was it approved, but they have revoked the approval? I don't know planning permission jargon, so I have no idea what that word means.

I wonder what the locals' concerns about layout and looks were, though, as you won't be able to see these from outside the park.
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The word deferred is not at all planning permission jargon. To defer something you 'put off (an action or event) to a later time; postpone' as quoted from Google Dictionary. :)
 
GaryH said:
  • Prices to stay over are extortionate for the quality of the product received.

So why are they still looking to pursue extra accommodation as opposed to fixing the existing resort?
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Those two points go hand in hand, people pay the premium prices and Towers know people will flock to something new. Decent results for year 1 and then another flop.
 
DistortAMG said:
The word deferred is not at all planning permission jargon. To defer something you 'put off (an action or event) to a later time; postpone' as quoted from Google Dictionary. :)
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Ah right. Thanks for the clarification @DistortAMG! So this could be delayed to 2020, or possibly even later depending on when the council decide to look at the application.

With regards to the development, I personally think it will be lovely for the park, but it seems like a slightly strange fit that will contrast quite a lot with the rest of the EV. Now hear me out here; I personally think that the EV at present is a very immersive and well-themed environment; quite magical, in a sense. There are lots of little thematic touches and different nooks & crannies to explore, the lodges are themed to quite a high standard and the whole area has a very magical feel to it. These, on the other hand, will be arranged in a circle, which will remove the feel of having lots of nooks & crannies to explore because it will all be around the central area. Also, as fine as food vans are, I'm not really sure whether they suit the EV's style. In Merlin's defence, however, they will probably theme them, as they themed the ones in the Courtyard at Warwick Castle. Furthermore, I'm not sure that glamping pods will really fit with the EV's current visual style, even with the lovely theming that will probably be adorned onto and within them.

Also in Merlin's defence, the circular layout of the area could lend itself to a large entertainments area in the middle, and I'm sure they will theme the glamping pods just as well as they've themed the Woodland Lodges and Treehouses, if not better. I'm sure they'll put in some nice toadstools and fairy lights and landscaping etc when they're putting the final touches in towards the end of construction.

In conclusion, I'm sure that these will be a lovely budget option for Alton Towers, and that they will attract many new overnight guests to the park. I do have a few reservations at present, but I'm sure these will be dispelled once the project gains steam, and in hindsight, I apologise for criticising the layout, as that really is awfully pedantic of me because the layout won't really make a difference on how good the accommodation is.

On a side note, what sort of pricing should we expect for these. I'm guessing around £100 per night, as these are clearly intended to be a more budget option and they lack some of the creature comforts of the Resort's other hotels.
P.S. Sorry for the long post.
 
Not your post per se, more the entire barrels thing. When the park are struggling to even get all of their current hotels open, it amazes me that they seem to want to fix it by making more accomodation. It does make one wonder if these are just going to be mothballed in a couple of years anyway.
 
Matt N said:
On a side note, what sort of pricing should we expect for these. I'm guessing around £100 per night, as these are clearly intended to be a more budget option and they lack some of the creature comforts of the Resort's other hotels.
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That would be too expensive. You can on the odd occasion get a room in Splash for close to £100 a night where you get your own loo and shower/bath! For these sheds, I wouldn't pay more than £70 a night at the very maximum, even then however, the thought of using public toilets to also shower and wash in just fills me with dread, so I would probably just go to a B&B close by, or even one of the local Travel Lodges where I have had rooms in the past for £19.
 
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