The biggest update to the application since it first appeared today with 32 additional documents since my last check. If I didn't know any better I'd guess there was some sort of planning decision being made in the next nine days.
Lichfields, who are working on the park's behalf with this application as they have done many others confirms that there were other areas considered for this development but this one was ultimately chosen in order to expand the park without needing to remove or replace an attraction. The letter, accompanying the new documents, pinpoints the concerns raised with the development so far and how the park feels they answer them. With 32 documents to cover, I imagine this post is going to be big enough without me copying and pasting bits of the full letter, so I highly recommend reading it yourself (It is the document titled 'Jo Gregory (Response to Comments Jan 2023)' on the application page).
The fairly mundane stuff
Six of those are updated drainage plans (reading those again like I had any idea what any of it meant was an absolute joy) with an additional permeable materials report and Severn Trent Water also confirming that the development will have little impact on the sewerage system so they have no objections to it.
Planting plan
Aside from the updated drainage plans, the bulk of the new stuff from this update relates to a planting plan which is pretty extensive. As almost none of you will be as nerdy about plants as me, I'll save you the boring (or in my opinion, fascinating) bits and point out that the biggest takeaway from it is that they plan to plant English Ivy on the south wall of the ride building, with climbing wires in place to assist in its growth upwards.
Views from outside the park
A couple of external viewpoints have been added as well. The first is from the playing field in Alton, showing how the building will not be visible from that viewpoint due to the canopy thickening and using a photo from a matter of weeks ago (9th January) to prove it.
The second is from Alton Castle and is in direct response to a Parish Councillor (unnamed) who brought up the view from that non-publicly accessible standing point showing that even from its prominent position none of the building would be visible, with 99% of it being hidden by the tree canopy when looking towards the development from Toot Hill. The previously referred to letter from Lichfields states that this was conducted to highlight the worst case of being able to see the ride building from Churnet Valley and Alton Village.
Frankly if this application falls on this absolutely laughable amount of visibility, that you'd need a pair of binoculars to even notice, then I highly doubt anything will be built above six feet in the Staffordshire Moorlands area until at least the next council elections. I believe these additional view documents are the closest you'll ever get to a FU in a planning application.
Conservation
As I have said previously, personally I think this development would only be refused permission at this point on conservation grounds, either in relation to the proximity to the Flag Tower, the hill fort or both.
In regards to the Hill Fort, ATR have got a third party (in the form of Archaeological Research Services) to produce a Historic Environment Desk-Based Assessment of the area. Long story short, they conclude that the proposed development site and associated landscape planting as part of the planting plan falls outside the Scheduled Ancient Monument and so will not directly impact the Scheduled Ancient Monument. With a third party now backing the park in regards to the development's impact on conservation, we might be seeing a trowel duel when the Committee Meeting takes place next week.
Nine days to go...
