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2018: Wicker Man - General Discussion - SPOILERS! - Part One

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Marcus said:
Alton Towers seem to have to go above and beyond for its neighbours, which in many cases has worked out making some awesome rides but it does kinda annoy me how these people get all this press over it due to it being a theme park, you don't hear about the people who have had new A roads and Motorways go up next to them and they are noisy 24/7!
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Do they get that much press coverage though? There's bound to be bits and bobs in the local newspapers, that happens all over the country with similar issues, but it is only the previous issues with the Ropers that got national press coverage and that was because the case went to court.

You're always going to get people that aren't happy with elements of any planning application whether it be a new ride at Alton Towers or a house extension. Almost everyone becomes a NIMBY when the development is suddenly in their own back yard! Towers have indeed gone above and beyond when it comes to mitigating the noise from this coaster, I see no problems in it being given the green light to go ahead.

:)
 
Indeed it will be given the green light. Any other decision from Staffordshire Moorlands would unreasonable. I actually think the park are very good neighbours and they do a lot for charities. There's no major theme park in the world that manages to operate in such enclosed conditions.

But I do think it's time they were allowed a little slack for over 2 decades of good behaviour. I think excessive noise late at night and early morning would be out of the question, but I see no reason why the odd section of track can't be allowed above the tree line. Not a whole ride of course, but just the top of a lift hill or a spire or something, painted and perhaps even camouflaged to blend in with its surroundings, just to give the coasters an extra few feet (would make a lot of difference).

It is, after all, a park that has operated for over 36 years as a theme park and a century before that as a tourist attraction. It's not as if it's the newbie in town, it's part of the area. And rollercoasters like SW8, are after all, only semi permanent structures that have a limited life expectancy. I would argue that major excavation works to keep to the height restrictions are doing far more damage to the conservation area than the odd piece of inconspicuous coaster track poking above the tree line for about 30 years (that can probably only be seen with binoculars on a clear day from 1 blokes bedroom window).
 
matthewgcole said:
Indeed it will be given the green light. Any other decision from Staffordshire Moorlands would unreasonable. I actually think the park are very good neighbours and they do a lot for charities. There's no major theme park in the world that manages to operate in such enclosed conditions.

But I do think it's time they were allowed a little slack for over 2 decades of good behaviour. I think excessive noise late at night and early morning would be out of the question, but I see no reason why the odd section of track can't be allowed above the tree line. Not a whole ride of course, but just the top of a lift hill or a spire or something, painted and perhaps even camouflaged to blend in with its surroundings, just to give the coasters an extra few feet (would make a lot of difference).

It is, after all, a park that has operated for over 36 years as a theme park and a century before that as a tourist attraction. It's not as if it's the newbie in town, it's part of the area. And rollercoasters like SW8, are after all, only semi permanent structures that have a limited life expectancy. I would argue that major excavation works to keep to the height restrictions are doing far more damage to the conservation area than the odd piece of inconspicuous coaster track poking above the tree line for about 30 years (that can probably only be seen with binoculars on a clear day from 1 blokes bedroom window).
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Well said Sir. I agree, and would go further to suggest that Staffordshire Moorlands Council should be proud of this major amusement park that has grown in their vicinity and should be willing to 'bend the rules' slightly here and there to ensure that Towers continues to be a world class park/resort. All I've seen in the last decade or so is stifling behaviour and it serves neither party positively.
 
Bendy rules for one, bendy rules for all and before you know it there will be theme parks and roller coasters springing up willy nilly all over the place !
 
bluesonichd said:
Bendy rules for one, bendy rules for all and before you know it there will be theme parks and roller coasters springing up willy nilly all over the place !
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Why is that a bad thing? I don't want to sound like a blind enthusiast, I know that planning restrictions in this country have protected so many natural and beautiful parts of this country.

But on the other side of the coin, UK planning restrictions can sometimes suppress employment and they are also partly to blame for the housing crisis. Rich people basically saying "not in my back yard".
 
In terms of the SMDC planning committee, I see no reason why they'd refuse the application. The photos taken from several vantage points with the overlays of SW8 show that it's hardly going to be visible at all, and the fact it's a woodie definitely helps it in that respect. There have been a few objections from some members of the public, though that should be expected for such a major development. Responses from organisations such as Historic England and Severn Trent Water have all been in support of the development. The latest document uploaded to the Planning Portal is from Alton Parish Council, who at their planning meeting held on Monday, had no objections. It's all looking very promising.

In terms of the ride, however? It's a woodie, which is always a plus point, as it's something lacking in Towers' ride line-up, and it's something enthusiasts have been wanting for years. It's reusing bits of the Flume, including the station, the Flume's channel routing (I think) for the overflow queue, and I think they may be using the Flume's old queue in places, though I'm presuming it'll of course get re-paved. I'm just glad we're not going to be getting yet another cattlepen, if I'm honest! :p It does remain to be seen what will happen inside the station building, though. I'd expect a bit of a cattlepen, but nothing too major at all. The actual ride does look good, albeit a bit short, and the lift hill's definitely unusual. I'm definitely looking forward to it. Given it's going to be a GCI, the trains will almost certainly be along the lines of the Millennium Fliers, which is fine by me! As I believe has been mentioned elsewhere in the topic, I think Towers have made the right decision in getting this application in quite a way before the ride's due to open, in order to give themselves plenty of time to iron out any problems with the ride after the issues Merlin have had over the past few years with new rides. I just hope that once the application's approved, they get the builders in to start work as soon as is practicable to give themselves the maximum amount of time to get it built and ideally opened for the start of the 2018 season.
 
matthewgcole said:
Indeed it will be given the green light. Any other decision from Staffordshire Moorlands would unreasonable. I actually think the park are very good neighbours and they do a lot for charities. There's no major theme park in the world that manages to operate in such enclosed conditions.

But I do think it's time they were allowed a little slack for over 2 decades of good behaviour. I think excessive noise late at night and early morning would be out of the question, but I see no reason why the odd section of track can't be allowed above the tree line. Not a whole ride of course, but just the top of a lift hill or a spire or something, painted and perhaps even camouflaged to blend in with its surroundings, just to give the coasters an extra few feet (would make a lot of difference).

It is, after all, a park that has operated for over 36 years as a theme park and a century before that as a tourist attraction. It's not as if it's the newbie in town, it's part of the area. And rollercoasters like SW8, are after all, only semi permanent structures that have a limited life expectancy. I would argue that major excavation works to keep to the height restrictions are doing far more damage to the conservation area than the odd piece of inconspicuous coaster track poking above the tree line for about 30 years (that can probably only be seen with binoculars on a clear day from 1 blokes bedroom window).
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The only thing i would say is every major ride at the park can be seen outside the park (Nemesis, Rita and Air from Alton Village, Oblivion and the Smiler from across the valley). To get any higher you are looking at becoming obvious and i don't think the park needs it.

There are things that need loosening up (theming in dark forest was severely curtailed due to proximity to the ruins and lighting is a contentious issue). Plus the access road could do with being aproved but i don't see a problem with height for this woody plan, length is the only thing i am currently worried about.
 
Looking at the plans again they could almost build this woodie without having to remove the flume.

They could easily have designed it to go around it - the site is large enough.
 
The Flume was old and tired as Hell - and that's coming from someone who liked it! If Corkscrew's time was up in 2008, then Flume had clearly been on borrowed time for the past few seasons.
 
andeyhart said:
The Flume was old and tired as Hell - and that's coming from someone who liked it! If Corkscrew's time was up in 2008, then Flume had clearly been on borrowed time for the past few seasons.
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True - but it was still very popular during the summer and could have been re-tracked completely with a brand new ride through the woodland on the existing foundations.
 
It was popular, and I would like another Flume to arrive at the park at some stage. But that Flume had had its day and I think it makes a good location for a family coaster.
 
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