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

Perhaps they are buying Black Hole back, seeing as it is for sale, for £350,000 pounds too. That leaves a lot of money for theming.

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All jokes aside, I do look forward to seeing this attraction pan out over the next couple of years, that is for sure.
 
DistortAMG said:
Perhaps they are buying Black Hole back, seeing as it is for sale, for £350,000 pounds too. That leaves a lot of money for theming.

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Find used amusement rides for sale or rental. Worldwide operations. Contact us now! Roller coasters, ferris wheels, carousels, family rides and more! The best rides for your theme park!
www.amusement-rides.com www.amusement-rides.com

All jokes aside, I do look forward to seeing this attraction pan out over the next couple of years, that is for sure.
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As I said before many, many times on this forum...Black Hole is coming home! The Flume Duck came back so why not Schwarzkopf goodness too?! :p
 
Listened to an interview with John Wardley this afternoon on Wrexham Premier radio, he says time to drop the SW moniker and stop thinking about what counts as a "SW" ride, because Project Horizon will be another major attraction regardless. Good to hear this attidude
 
Alty Mans and all the Easter Egg nods to the past would suggest that some of the creative folks are fans of nostalgia.

* Using that short form only to annoy Pete.
 
Rob said:
Ultimately it does not matter what the project name is, sure an SW tag can drive up excitement with some enthusiasts but it makes no meaningful difference. Countless incredible attractions that have opened and continue to open never have a publicly seen project name.
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I think this is what he was getting at. He was asked by the host if there'd be 'a SW9' and John pointed out the SW name was never meant to be taken to mean anything like it has and he'd prefer it dropped.

Suggests to me Horizon is more of a hybrid like we expect. The SW name got taken too literally as an expecation for major outdoor coasters.
 
I’ve had a thought about Project Horizon and what it could be.

I’ve heard a lot of talk about an Intamin Multi-Dimensional Coaster, and indeed, I myself have been quite a keen advocate of this ride type (it seems like a very plausible option to me), but I’ve thought of another option; could we see a LIM launched Vekoma family coaster similar to Big Bear Mountain at Dollywood or Lightning at Furuvik?

It would fit with the building not being massive for an indoor coaster, it would fit with the lack of height and apparent lack of digging (as per the planning application appendices), it would be a ride with very wide appeal of the type that Alton Towers arguably lacks (I believe the height restriction for Big Bear Mountain is only something like 0.95m?), and it would also fit with the budget possibly not being absolutely massive (£12.5m was quoted as the “construction budget” in the planning documents, but this could exclude other costs like marketing).

It also wouldn’t stop them from making it more of a dark ride/coaster hybrid (which I still believe to be quite plausible based on the evidence we have); this ride system could easily accommodate something along the lines of Hagrid’s Magical Creatures Motorbike Adventure or Revenge of the Mummy, where the ride slows every now and then and does show scenes.

I’m not necessarily saying that I think this is what it will be, but I certainly think it’s another option to consider.

I do, however, feel that this is likely to be more of an all-ages family attraction than an out-and-out thrill ride, and I agree with @ChristmasPud in thinking that some kind of dark ride/coaster hybrid is more likely than a regular coaster in a shed. I’ve thought that for a while with the various pieces of evidence that we have from the planning application (building not being massive for an indoor coaster, not loads of height for an indoor coaster to work with), and I also feel that John Wardley’s reluctance to refer to Project Horizon as SW9 in the aforementioned interview could infer that it will be somewhat of a change of pace compared to Alton Towers’ other recent coaster investments.

Although based on some other recent comments, I would take what John Wardley says with a pinch of salt…
 
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Matt N said:
I’ve had a thought about Project Horizon and what it could be.

I’ve heard a lot of talk about an Intamin Multi-Dimensional Coaster, and indeed, I myself have been quite a keen advocate of this ride type (it seems like a very plausible option to me), but I’ve thought of another option; could we see a LIM launched Vekoma family coaster similar to Big Bear Mountain at Dollywood or Lightning at Furuvik?

It would fit with the building not being massive for an indoor coaster, it would fit with the lack of height and apparent lack of digging (as per the planning application appendices), it would be a ride with very wide appeal of the type that Alton Towers arguably lacks (I believe the height restriction for Big Bear Mountain is only something like 0.95m?), and it would also fit with the budget possibly not being absolutely massive (£12.5m was quoted as the “construction budget” in the planning documents, but this could exclude other costs like marketing).

It also wouldn’t stop them from making it more of a dark ride/coaster hybrid (which I still believe to be quite plausible based on the evidence we have); this ride system could easily accommodate something along the lines of Hagrid’s Magical Creatures Motorbike Adventure or Revenge of the Mummy, where the ride slows every now and then and does show scenes.

I’m not necessarily saying that I think this is what it will be, but I certainly think it’s another option to consider.

I do, however, feel that this is likely to be more of an all-ages family attraction than an out-and-out thrill ride, and I agree with @ChristmasPud in thinking that some kind of dark ride/coaster hybrid is more likely than a regular coaster in a shed. I’ve thought that for a while with the various pieces of evidence that we have from the planning application (building not being massive for an indoor coaster, not loads of height for an indoor coaster to work with), and I also feel that John Wardley’s reluctance to refer to Project Horizon as SW9 in the aforementioned interview could infer that it will be somewhat of a change of pace compared to Alton Towers’ other recent coaster investments.

Although based on some other recent comments, I would take what John Wardley says with a pinch of salt…
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I hope we don't have another family coaster. Wicker man fits that demographic so I would prefer them to go for a big thrill coaster like Smiler but judging on the size and height of the building they haven't got much to work with. A coaster dark ride hybrid would be great. I'm hoping it'll be heavily themed and detailed.
 
Ethan said:
I hope we don't have another family coaster. Wicker man fits that demographic so I would prefer them to go for a big thrill coaster like Smiler but judging on the size and height of the building they haven't got much to work with. A coaster dark ride hybrid would be great. I'm hoping it'll be heavily themed and detailed.
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Perhaps controversially, I’d make the argument that Wicker Man isn’t a family coaster. Family thrill, maybe, but with a 1.2m height restriction and a fairly thrilling ride experience, I’d argue that it doesn’t have quite the wide appeal that family coasters at other parks do.

By family coaster, I mean something along the lines of Runaway Mine Train (intensity-wise) that suits the “too big for CBeebies, too small for the Big 7” demographic while also appealing to adults and older families at the same time. I’d reference things like some of the recent coaster additions at Paultons Park, as well as some of the headliners at Disney parks, as the type of thrill level I’m referring to.

Something along the same thrill level/height restriction as Wicker Man or Thirteen would also work well, though. A 1.2m height restriction ride like that would be good, although I don’t see the height restriction being any higher than 1.2m for this.

Don’t get me wrong, I certainly wouldn’t complain if we got a new thrill coaster, but I don’t think Alton Towers are exactly short of thrill coasters at the moment. I’d argue that the coaster demographic the park is most lacking at present is a coaster to bridge the gap between RMT and the 1.2m rides (and they lack rides for the “too big for CBeebies, too small for the Big 7” group more generally), and I think it would be nice if Project Horizon filled this gap. Or at very least, if its height restriction was no higher than 1.2m.
 
A family thrill coaster is the way to go for towers in my opinion. Fun for all is the thing they should be aiming for. Towers are definitely more of a family/thrill park now and I think they will be most successful under than demographic, of course I’d love to see another thrill coaster but in all seriousness, another coaster of the wickerman level is what will generate the most return and footfall
 
Davezilla said:
Got to remember that indoor coasters don't have to be huge to be thrilling. Take Space Mountain at WDW, put that coaster outside it'd be pretty dire, but indoors in the dark it's a great ride and feels more thrilling than it should.
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An example closer to home would be Black Hole, which was of course just a regular Jet Star II but which (apparently) could deliver intense rides due to the darkness.
 
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I don't know when Project Horizon is due to open, probably 2025. But it should be put on indefinite hold with immediate effect. Sure, start some work so that the planning permission remains valid (work is required to start within 3 years of permission being granted) but Alton Towers/Merlin should not be spending millions of pounds on another new rollercoaster at present.

Sort the park out, get some flat rides, get a headline water ride, improve F&B options, spend on essential infrastructure. For too long now we have just seen major coaster after major coaster, and as soon as one opens the previous one just gets forgotten and neglected (look at the state of both Thirteen and The Smiler).

Major new additions are needed to keep guests coming back, but if the park keeps going in the way it is right now there won't be a park worth coming back to.
 
In fairness, I think Project Horizon could be slightly different to previous major coasters.

I have my suspicions that it could be more family-focused with more of a dark ride element rather than being an out and out thrill coaster like the previous ones, and I think that it could help to fill the niche of attractions for the “too big for CBeebies, too small for the big 7” market, which many argue that the park is lacking most at present.

I think that if Horizon was a ride of this nature, it could address some of the problems people have with the park; it would provide another indoor attraction, it would provide another ride for the whole family to do together, it would provide another ride for those who don’t like intense coasters to do. I think that even though it is very likely to be another roller coaster, it will be a very different type of roller coaster to the park’s others, and I feel that it will still fill a very valuable niche within the park’s lineup.

With that in mind, I’d still like to see it happen, personally.
 
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