Drayton Manor Park

[Poisson]

Even if it was track related, that could be Intamin, Gerst or Mack track.

Anyway, looking forward to when they open their Zhongshan Jinbo Recreation Equipment Company Big Apple clone

 

[Themeparksandy1981]

With Alton already installing track and Thorpe already started ground work for the footers unless Drayton are aiming for a May opening u would think ground work would have at least started if they wanted a March opening.
Vikings started mid October and took 7 Months.

 

[Themepark-newbie]

With Alton already installing track and Thorpe already started ground work for the footers unless Drayton are aiming for a May opening u would think ground work would have at least started if they wanted a March opening.
Vikings started mid October and took 7 Months.

Nah. It doesn't take long to install an SBF spinner

 

[BooMT]

Just back from my first experience of Drayton (staying at Warwick Castle) and will do a trip report tomorrow possibly. My harness was sooo loose on Shockwave the second time I think I re-broke my back Also 2 ride evacs (Stormforce 10 & Sleipnir).

In regards to the new ride - we also wondered if 'Ay, you' was an 'Au' gold reference. The background is the same as the entryway sign coming into Vikings from the hotel - we spent longer than we should have staring at it looking for clues and couldn't conjure anything else

 

[BigShadowtinytree]

Live footage of enthusiasts trying to work out what hint they’ve hidden on the construction signage:

 

[Maelstrom]

There was an early rumour when the coaster was first talked about 18 months ago of a gerstlauer swing launch coaster. Goldrush at Slagharen was there first swing launch coaster I believe. If the ref is Gold could be a link. However I doubt any hint is as complex as that and prob something more simple like a hint at the theme.

 

[DistortAMG]

With Alton already installing track and Thorpe already started ground work for the footers unless Drayton are aiming for a May opening u would think ground work would have at least started if they wanted a March opening.
Vikings started mid October and took 7 Months.

Nemesis track will be in way before March as it is clear they are taking more time with the construction than is needed, by taking the ride out for a full season. Thorpe have some pretty massive footers to install, it is the UK's tallest coaster...

Both cannot be accurately compared to what is, i asssume, a family ride.

Spinball Whizzer would be more accurate, a ride who's footers went in Septemeber 2003, with track starting to go up late October 2003. The ride was ready for March.

Obviously legislation and construction processes will have changed in 20 years. But it should still give you an accurate idea.

 

[Relife]

I think some on here are presuming the new coaster will be ready for the start of the season, I think that very unlikely. Also bare in mind Thorpe park had alot more ground work to do beforehand.

 

[DistortAMG]

I think some on here are presuming the new coaster will be ready for the start of the season, I think that very unlikely. Also bare in mind Thorpe park had alot more ground work to do beforehand.

Not sure if you meant me, but I'm not presuming that. I am merely stating a coaster that went vertical in the October was ready for guests in the following March.

The underlying message being that a potential similar size of coaster, was built and commissioned in just over 5 months. Excluding footers. Therefor, the fact nothing is going on this site yet, is nothing to be concerned about. The fact it will probably open in May. Means we may not even see any track at all this year.

 

[Matt N]

Drayton Manor don’t often open things at the start of the season, do they?

Adventure Cove and Vikings were both no earlier than May, and even going as far back as the pre-Thomas days, the park’s big ride investments have often had late spring or early summer openings rather than start of season openings, if I’m remembering correctly.

 

[Themeparksandy1981]

Adventure Cove was July/August as we were in Lockdown to mid April 2021.

Shockwave: footers many were installed when Splash Canyon was constructed with the rest going in during the closed season but still opened 26th March.

G Force: Klondike and the tea cups were removed in the closed season with G force opening in July.

Ben 10 the Sombreros and the band stand were removed closed season and Ben 10 opened in April.

So going on what management told me earlier this month ground work including footers will be going in during the season with the coaster been constructed during the closed season but was told if I wanted to get photos then go during the Christmas event.

 

[BooMT]

We spent Sunday 28th May visiting Drayton Manor for the first time & went with no real expectations one way or the other other - here's a longer than I anticipated summary of our experience

On arrival, we found the drive in to the grounds pleasant, no queues, easy to navigate and found a space reasonably close to the main entrance which was a bonus! Welcome staff were really friendly and informative, helped point us in the direction of guest services to collect our easy access pass and engaged with the kids. We found the park to be clean, well presented and rides look reasonably well maintained - no real faults here. The Fiestaval event had started at the weekend, our only experience with it was a stage next to Accelerator which had a great, colourful atmosphere & dancers/character meet & greets plus music and Redcoat-esque stage ents but this really wasn't essential to our visit.

Guest Services staff were really lovely with my youngest who has a variety of additional needs - collecting RAP was extremely quick and easy however, one of the biggest issues we had throughout the day was with the RAP scheme. We were just given the bands & told that it's different for each ride. Nothing was provided in regards to a time out sheet or access info for each ride which at times left us very confused. The new submarine ride had easily one of the longest queues of the day - of course, it was the only ride my youngest really, really wanted to ride There is a sign saying 'no exit passes' which, having not been before, we had no idea whether this meant RAP or something else so we asked some staff who told us RAP wasn't available for this ride. We attempted to queue but 10 mins in to probably an hour or more, my youngest was rocking back and forth stressed within the cattle pen having a meltdown so we left the queue which sent him into a pretty bad place. We also tried to access the Haunting, a member of staff told us to go through the exit which was difficult to find because the shop it was in had closed signs everywhere and when we finally got to the exit after some back and forthing, they said they don't accept RAP on that ride so we left it, disappointing my eldest. Later in the day, I asked a member of staff (who turned out to be the park Ride Ops manager) if I could pay for a fast track for the Thomas Submarines - he was really helpful and showed us that there was actually a RAP queue tucked around the side out of view and apologised for the misinformation.

ANYWAY, first ride was Shockwave, the bone shaker of doom! Definitely unique, our first stand-up coaster but aside from the 0G inversion which was the highlight, it fell slightly flat for us. Rides very rough & second ride, my harness secured way too loose, so I was rattling about after the loop! Dex also thought it was rough and he loves SAW so it must be bad

Maelstrom was next; we do love a good Gyro Swing in this house so we enjoyed it & can see it's popular but I have to say, Zamperlas Cyclonator (yes, the Paultons Thoosie in me is trying to break free again!) is far superior in overall look and feel. The Adventure Cove area looks pretty good, had a lively feel to it. We didn't manage to ride Stormforce as when we attempted, it was evac'd and stayed down for a while. By the time it was up and running, we didn't want to be wet! The pirate ship however, is good ol' fashioned fun and love it being parallel with the lake.

Accelerator brought some laughs, Dex had two rides on this; great use of such a small area too! Ops for this were immaculate during our visit too, they were just whizzing through the dispatches.

Vikings - Thor, brilliant Disc'O. Really slick theming, ops are great, butter smooth (unlike Edge ). RAP spot on - entry through exit but no awkward blocking off of passengers leaving as the walkway splits in two. Loki... this is a ride I have seen go viral... it seems very popular but... it's a whole load of not much at all in our opinion! We even audibly said 'is that it?' when the cycle finished... definitely more oomph backwards than forwards. Sleipnir... full ride evac as we were about to get on but back up and running again within 10 mins... Rocket was still unhappy about the subs at this point so the whole way round it was: 'I'm hate horses. I'm hate vikings. I'm hate shields. I'm hate grass' which was more fun than the ride itself Felt it would be better having a solid fence with visual themeing around the perimeter perhaps? Jormungandr - train looks great - we didn't ride as Rocket was too small and Dex said 'Hell no Bruh, that looks less exciting than homework' so that was that.

I shan't bore you with smaller filler rides or Thomas Land but we thought it was a great asset to the park, well themed, really good variety of rides, some unusual ones too! Rocket was over the moon to ride the Subs and to be honest, it's really cute! He felt big and brave going down a double drop... I felt very heavy weighing the boat down considerably in the back Something we enjoyed about the park is that there isn't much dead space... they seem to have filled pretty much everywhere and most things were operational. The zoo has a slightly abandoned feel to it, although, they seem to have a really diverse range of reptiles which was cool & it was the perfect place for a sensory break, very calm and tranquil. Feel like it would be better being redeveloped, maybe keep a smaller selection of animals and use the rest of the space for attractions.

Food queues were pretty busy & we had a big dinner booked so nothing to say on the F&B as we only snacked. Seemingly good range across the park - the bubble waffles looked yummy!

We probably wouldn't rush to come back unless there were major new additions as a draw - it's too far for us just for Thomas but if we lived closed I could see us maybe buying passes just for that reason, even though Rocket doesn't watch Thomas, it's a great day out in itself for younger children

 

[JAperson]

So I'm guessing this new coaster isn't going to require planning permission? Because surely if it was needed they'd have done it by now, if not they're certainly cutting it close.

 

[Maelstrom]

So I'm guessing this new coaster isn't going to require planning permission? Because surely if it was needed they'd have done it by now, if not they're certainly cutting it close.

They don’t need planning permission if fits with certain criteria in most of the main theme park area (that’s already been developed). I believe as long as below certain height and possible some other conditions. Think it’s probably around the 80ft mark (could be wrong) not many rides have needed planning permission over the years, apocalypse did due to the height and also shockwave as well.

However that is info I read a good few years back now and not sure how much has changed when they submitted their 5 year development plan.

I still expect something similar to the Intamin family thrill straddle coasters or similar (straddle or non straddle cars) from another manufacturer. These models would easily fit within the permitted construction height. The new Vekoma family thrill launch coaster that’s just opened at Dollywood would be another good option.

Will also be interesting to see what gets incorporate into a new themed area- I suspect drunken barrols and the Wild West shoot out will, but will they also include the haunting and accelerator. if Wild West themed they could make the haunting fit with a slight change to story line and few theming tweaks.

 

[JAperson]

Yes I know there are permitted development rights, but would've been interesting had they had to put in an application even for just a part of the layout. It seems it will be relatively short, likely to avoid the need for permission, so I'm guessing a launch coaster of some form is likely. As it's something Drayton is missing I do not blame them at all.

 

[Connor98]

Yes I know there are permitted development rights, but would've been interesting had they had to put in an application even for just a part of the layout. It seems it will be relatively short, likely to avoid the need for permission, so I'm guessing a launch coaster of some form is likely. As it's something Drayton is missing I do not blame them at all.

Im not sure of the parameters for them needed to submit planning permission apart from the height constraints but it definitely doesn’t mean it’s going to be short. It’s also not a small plot by any means, and I’d be interested to look into what other UK coasters would fit in the plot. But if it is a launch they could easily fit a good length coaster in that space and keep it relatively close to the ground hence avoiding any needs for planning! I’m really looking forward to watching this progress, it has me more curious than Exodus! Mainly because of the mystery of it all.

 

[Themeparksandy1981]

They don’t need planning permission if fits with certain criteria in most of the main theme park area (that’s already been developed). I believe as long as below certain height and possible some other conditions. Think it’s probably around the 80ft mark (could be wrong) not many rides have needed planning permission over the years, apocalypse did due to the height and also shockwave as well.

However that is info I read a good few years back now and not sure how much has changed when they submitted their 5 year development plan.

I still expect something similar to the Intamin family thrill straddle coasters or similar (straddle or non straddle cars) from another manufacturer. These models would easily fit within the permitted construction height. The new Vekoma family thrill launch coaster that’s just opened at Dollywood would be another good option.

Will also be interesting to see what gets incorporate into a new themed area- I suspect drunken barrols and the Wild West shoot out will, but will they also include the haunting and accelerator. if Wild West themed they could make the haunting fit with a slight change to story line and few theming tweaks.

A couple of pages back I had the idea that the haunting was themed to an abandoned hotel and an outlaw was killed and now he wants his revenge.

 

[JAperson]

Im not sure of the parameters for them needed to submit planning permission apart from the height constraints but it definitely doesn’t mean it’s going to be short. It’s also not a small plot by any means, and I’d be interested to look into what other UK coasters would fit in the plot. But if it is a launch they could easily fit a good length coaster in that space and keep it relatively close to the ground hence avoiding any needs for planning! I’m really looking forward to watching this progress, it has me more curious than Exodus! Mainly because of the mystery of it all.

I mean short in terms of height not length. I do agree with most of what you've said. I think we could see something with a decent length, especially if it's launched.

 

[Themeparksandy1981]

They may have not submitted plans for the new coaster but sometime last summer local residents were sent letters inviting them to view plans for the new coaster and other projects they had in mind for the farm end and they had to sign something that they wouldn’t tell anyone about the plans. Even staff members know the plans but even they been told they can’t tell anyone to management reveal the plans themselves.

 

[immelmanloop]

They don’t need planning permission if fits with certain criteria in most of the main theme park area (that’s already been developed). I believe as long as below certain height and possible some other conditions. Think it’s probably around the 80ft mark (could be wrong) not many rides have needed planning permission over the years, apocalypse did due to the height and also shockwave as well.

However that is info I read a good few years back now and not sure how much has changed when they submitted their 5 year development plan.

I still expect something similar to the Intamin family thrill straddle coasters or similar (straddle or non straddle cars) from another manufacturer. These models would easily fit within the permitted construction height. The new Vekoma family thrill launch coaster that’s just opened at Dollywood would be another good option.

Will also be interesting to see what gets incorporate into a new themed area- I suspect drunken barrols and the Wild West shoot out will, but will they also include the haunting and accelerator. if Wild West themed they could make the haunting fit with a slight change to story line and few theming tweaks.

The park is covered by what is known as a "General Permitted Developent Order" often shortened to GDO (No idea where the P went.) The essence of this, is that the area is regarded as "amusement park land" and as such, they do not require planning permission for small installations, as due to the way that the UK does planning law, the business of doing so for something like a themed ride is actually quite involved, and would be very limiting if it was needed every time a ride was relocated or rethemed (Which it would be without the GDO.). The conditions are basically such that a new or extension of a building cannot exceed 5m gain in height and 25m overall height, and that other structures, I.E. rides cannot exceed 25(30?)m. If they wish to build taller, they require planning permission. There is also some stipulation over environmental and noise concerns, which can vary from site to site. As far as I am aware, all of Loopings developments have been done under the GDO, and I see no reason for them to do otherwise, as as a family park, they are unlikely to be building attractions that will exceed this.