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[202X] Project Horizon (SW9?): Planning Approved

Matt N said:
I had a thought; with the recent reveal of the Uncharted coaster at PortAventura, which seems likely to be an Intamin Multi Dimensional Coaster, could Project Horizon be something similar?

I know that Alton Towers technically already has Thirteen as an Intamin Multi Dimensional Coaster, but the model has evolved in scope quite considerably since Thirteen was built, and a ride with a heavier dark ride focus and different trick tracks (similar to Gringotts, or the ride that PA are seemingly building) would certainly differentiate itself well from Thirteen. A roller coaster with a heftier dark ride element would also arguably add another dark ride-style attraction to the park (which many argue that it needs), and I also feel that it could suit the smaller ground space better than a flat-out coaster.

If this ride were a coaster with a heavy dark ride element with some higher thrill coaster portions scattered within, it would make the height make sense while also fitting a decent coaster within the space (if it had a heavy dark ride focus, it likely wouldn’t require as much space as a regular enclosed coaster).
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I'm not sure the budget quoted would cover a multi dimension coaster and associated theming, I heard they are a very expensive.
 
Relife said:
I'm not sure the budget quoted would cover a multi dimension coaster and associated theming, I heard they are a very expensive.
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I’m not sure; Movie Park Studio Tour at Movie Park Germany (also a Multi Dimensional Coaster) only cost €12m, so a ride like that would certainly be doable within the quoted budget.

And that’s assuming that £12.5m is the whole project budget. It may well only be the construction budget, which could open up even more possibilities!
 
I’m not sure the budget figure in the planning application should be taken as gospel. It’s just a number to indicate high investment in the area, there is no legal requirement for them to include the costs.

The Intamin multidimensional is certainly one of many possibilities, but the Zamperla model would be a good shout too.
 
Only need one comment to suggest something horrible yet plausible attraction such as a Zamperla coming to make everyone go on a minor meltdown. As I've said before, anything that's not a Mack or B&M is dismissed though honestly it's not without good reason. God forbid if this was a Pinfari and how things would have the reaction been...
 
My gut feeling is still that this won’t be a coaster. Imagine you’re a local who looked at the public consultation (NOT the plans we’re discussing here, the information towers themselves publicised), you don’t object on the basis that they’ve not said “coaster” so you think it won’t be that loud. Then they start building a coaster. I feel as though they would have been very explicit in it being a coaster so that the locals would have a clear idea of what they were or weren’t objecting to.
 
tayspru said:
My gut feeling is still that this won’t be a coaster. Imagine you’re a local who looked at the public consultation (NOT the plans we’re discussing here, the information towers themselves publicised), you don’t object on the basis that they’ve not said “coaster” so you think it won’t be that loud. Then they start building a coaster. I feel as though they would have been very explicit in it being a coaster so that the locals would have a clear idea of what they were or weren’t objecting to.
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However, this would be an indoor coaster, so in theory, the noise should be minimal from outside by virtue of the ride being enclosed in a building.
 
Matt N said:
However, this would be an indoor coaster, so in theory, the noise should be minimal from outside by virtue of the ride being enclosed in a building.
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Even so that will be louder than a non coaster. It does feel as though what Towers have said to the residents is a little bit misleading, but in my opinion they should really have been up front if they were going to give the game away in a random traffic document anyway
 
tayspru said:
Even so that will be louder than a non coaster. It does feel as though what Towers have said to the residents is a little bit misleading, but in my opinion they should really have been up front if they were going to give the game away in a random traffic document anyway
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Will it? Soundproofing these days is surprisingly effective, and the park have expressed that the building will be soundproofed in the noise report.

Even if it is, I’d wager that the noise heard from the village itself would be fairly inconsequential compared to the noise that the previous residents of the site made back in the 1980s, and certainly far quieter than one of the park’s big outdoor coasters today.
 
Matt N said:
Will it? Soundproofing these days is surprisingly effective, and the park have expressed that the building will be soundproofed in the noise report.

Even if it is, I’d wager that the noise heard from the village itself would be fairly inconsequential compared to the noise that the previous residents of the site made back in the 1980s, and certainly far quieter than one of the park’s big outdoor coasters today.
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I’m sure like most objections it wouldn’t be too bad in the end, but they’re probably going to really annoy a lot of locals if the “indoor attraction” (that Towers purposely didn’t refer to as a coaster) turns out to be a coaster
 
At the end of the day, the locals who are going to be annoyed are likely to be just as annoyed whether it is an indoor coaster or an indoor carousel. Also why can't and indoor attraction be a coaster? A coaster is an attraction, and if this is some sort of multi-dimension non-traditional coaster as I think it most likely then Towers may rather it not be referred to as a coaster!
 
QTXAdsy said:
Only need one comment to suggest something horrible yet plausible attraction such as a Zamperla coming to make everyone go on a minor meltdown. As I've said before, anything that's not a Mack or B&M is dismissed though honestly it's not without good reason. God forbid if this was a Pinfari and how things would have the reaction been...
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Imagine if forums existed in the early 90s and people got wind Alton Towers had scrapped plans designed by industry leaders Arrow Dynamics to go with some unknown Swiss Company.
 
Rob said:
At the end of the day, the locals who are going to be annoyed are likely to be just as annoyed whether it is an indoor coaster or an indoor carousel. Also why can't and indoor attraction be a coaster? A coaster is an attraction, and if this is some sort of multi-dimension non-traditional coaster as I think it most likely then Towers may rather it not be referred to as a coaster!
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I imagine they could really kick up a stink down the line if something is built that they weren’t explicitly told about. Get the right (well in this case wrong) people riled up and planning could become even more of a nightmare for future projects. It’s a risky game they’re playing, especially given how they’ve had to navigate the minutiae of local restrictions in the past, playing fast and loose with what they’re even building seems like they’re asking for trouble
 
tayspru said:
I imagine they could really kick up a stink down the line if something is built that they weren’t explicitly told about. Get the right (well in this case wrong) people riled up and planning could become even more of a nightmare for future projects. It’s a risky game they’re playing, especially given how they’ve had to navigate the minutiae of local restrictions in the past, playing fast and loose with what they’re even building seems like they’re asking for trouble
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Merlin have always referred to these types of things as “indoor attractions” in the planning application, if I’m remembering correctly.

I think DBGT was referred to as an “indoor attraction”, as was Flight of the Sky Lion.

I’m conscious that Alton Towers is a different kettle of fish planning-wise to Thorpe Park and Legoland Windsor, and that neither of those rides turned out to be a coaster.

Ultimately, though, Alton Towers wouldn’t technically be lying by referring to an indoor coaster as an “indoor attraction”. I should think that the building enclosing the ride would be the main area of concern from the locals rather than the nature of attraction inside, so the terms they use to refer to the ride inside are purposefully vague.

Given that the building is to be soundproofed, noise should not be a big concern here. As far as I can tell, none of the current local objections reference noise, either.

Also, it isn’t like Towers haven’t gotten away with saying things that were arguably more misleading in the past. For instance, Wicker Man’s rather loud lift hill was referred to as a “silent magnetic lift system” in the planning application…
 
tayspru said:
I imagine they could really kick up a stink down the line if something is built that they weren’t explicitly told about. Get the right (well in this case wrong) people riled up and planning could become even more of a nightmare for future projects. It’s a risky game they’re playing, especially given how they’ve had to navigate the minutiae of local restrictions in the past, playing fast and loose with what they’re even building seems like they’re asking for trouble
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I don't agree at all. When any theme park submits a planning application for any new attraction then you are always going to get some vocal local resident who oppose. Of course views of local residents are taken in to account in such planning matters, but in the case of somewhere like Alton Towers the views of statutory consultees far outweigh the views of local residents.

And you always have to remember that it is very much in SMDC's interest for somewhere like Alton Towers to thrive.
 
Matt N said:
Also, it isn’t like Towers haven’t gotten away with saying things that were arguably more misleading in the past. For instance, Wicker Man’s rather loud lift hill was referred to as a “silent magnetic lift system” in the planning application…
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That's because it was originally intended to be a magnetic lift. Not sure why it was changed to a conventional chain lift.
 
There is no legal requirement to specify that the "indoor attraction" is a coaster, an indoor coaster is still an attraction and an appropriate noise assessment will have been planned.

Coasters don't have special planning requirements in general, it's the just the same factors like noise and visibility that need be assessed, which will be included like normal in this application.

The only misleading information would be for example if Alton Towers showed it would be quiet from surrounding areas, but then install a very loud attraction.
 
Niet Roken said:
There is no legal requirement to specify that the "indoor attraction" is a coaster, an indoor coaster is still an indoor attraction and a noise assessment appropriate to the kind of attraction that will have been planned.

Coasters don't have special planning requirements in general, it's the just the same factors like noise and visibility that need be assessed, which will be included like normal in this application.
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I agree. I think the building itself is likely to be the main bone of contention here rather than the nature of the attraction inside it, so provided that the park reports the predicted noise level of whatever they’re building accurately (which I trust that they would have), then I don’t see that building a coaster as their indoor attraction would be a problem.

Personally, I see a coaster as the most likely outcome here. It could be anything at this stage, but I personally think that the building dimensions would fit an indoor coaster better than they would fit a tracked dark ride or a media based dark ride (e.g. a flying theatre).
 
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