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New Fencing at Alton Towers

Shockadelica said:
There'd be less reaction if Nemesis was demolished, I'm sure.
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The visual aesthetics and rich history are just as, if not even more important than Nemesis. There are people such as myself who appreciate the natural beauty and the historical architecture just as much as the majority of rides that sit within the park.
 
Danny said:
Shockadelica said:
There'd be less reaction if Nemesis was demolished, I'm sure.
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The visual aesthetics and rich history are just as, if not even more important than Nemesis. There are people such as myself who appreciate the natural beauty and the historical architecture just as much as the majority of rides that sit within the park.
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Exactly. Alton Towers is very unique in terms of the landscape that it is set in. Putting fencing around much of this takes away from it all so much. Alton Tower should be making the most of what they have, they're very lucky to have it. It surely wouldn't cost the earth to repair the worn steps and ensure it is all fit for use.

:)
 
Shockadelica said:
Dave said:
Jonathan said:
I'd be all for organising a letter and/or a petition to English Heritage.
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The sad thing is i have just been through the planning application for these fences and it was designed in consultation with English Heritage.
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Well there we are. Nothing we can do.

You know, next time I'm at the park, having a blast on The Smiler, Oblivion, Nemesis, Air, Rita, Th13teen and all the other attractions that I love at Alton Towers, I'll look at this fence and it'll fair spoil my day, I'm sure. Every time I go to Alton Towers, this walk from the Towers to Mutiny Bay has always been the absolute highlight for me, as I'm sure it has been for every other member here. It's the first place I think of when I think of the park.

Seriously, the online reaction to this has been ridiculous. It's a fence around a bit of wall in a part of the park that nobody here barely thought about before now. And it doesn't even look THAT terrible.

I'm sure there's a reason for the fence being there. It's not the prettiest thing in the World and we'd all rather it wasn't there, but it's there now and it's hardly something we'll be caring about a month from now.

There'd be less reaction if Nemesis was demolished, I'm sure.
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What makes Alton Towers so special is its landscaping and location. If not for the Towers, the heritage and the beautiful terrain then it would be little more than a Six Flags park - ie. the whole park built soulessly on one level.

Slowly the little nuances that make the park stand out from the competition are being changed or removed. A theme park isn't just about the rides, and the reaction to this tells you that's still true even now.
 
It is worth considering (and there may be some truth in it) but it would be more convincing if it wasn't implemented at pretty much the same time as many other fences have been erected around the place. If it was so important to fence these steps off in the interests of preservation, why was it not done 5 years ago?
 
EuroSatch said:
Has anybody considered it's out of preservation of the stone work and not H&S?
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That would be like closing the Towers for preservation? Or closing Croxden Abbey as its in a poor state?

If the stone work is in that bad a condition, it should be repaired, and maintained. If Merlin are not willing to spend money doing this, than maybe it is time Merlin looked at selling Alton Towers, and using the capital to invest in more of their midway attractions.

Ian
 
This is English Heritage we are talking about. Stonehenge is another example of pointless fencing to preserve things.

I'm not saying I condone it, but certainly wouldn't surprise me. I possibly dislike EH more than Merlin
 
Given this coincides with fences around the Towers and (pending) fences in the Gardens it seems to point towards H&S rather than preservation.
 
Why couldn't they just put up a couple of "Do Not climb" notices then let people take their own chances?

:) :)
 
Croftybaby said:
Why couldn't they just put up a couple of "Do Not climb" notices then let people take their own chances?

:) :)
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The thing is... there already IS safety notices on the wall - they're themed and everything!
 
Okay so the petition has been live for around 5 hours now and we have accumulated 28 signatures which is a good start.

I know most people say there is no hope but I for one am one for doing everything possible to try, don't see the point in giving up on something you feel passionate for and think it deserves better...

I'm going to keep pushing this campaign and will progress once we get a decent amount of signatures, if you want the link to the campaign page then it should be a few pages back (Don't want to spam the link on this topic)
 
I somewhat doubt that a petition targeting 80 signatures will make a jot of difference to any current fencing or plans for future fencing.

This is not to say that I approve of the fence in question - I don't. There's already warning signs on the wall, the thing itself has been there for years and years without major incident already and I think it's wrong to fence off heritage structures just because they aren't 'safe' in modern standards.

What I am saying is that, as has been mentioned, these fences have actually been installed with the guidance of the local council AND English Heritage so they won't be removed by any means. Who exactly is going to take note and act upon any disgruntlement?

I'm sure hands are probably tied over this one. I'd be surprised if park management were particularly thrilled about this one.
 
Danny said:
Shockadelica said:
There'd be less reaction if Nemesis was demolished, I'm sure.
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The visual aesthetics and rich history are just as, if not even more important than Nemesis. There are people such as myself who appreciate the natural beauty and the historical architecture just as much as the majority of rides that sit within the park.
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Not sure if Shockadelica being serious.....

If so, you realise the reason most of us love the place more than THORPE for example, is the beauty of the grounds, and something that makes it a pretty globally unique place to visit?

It added to the feeling of escapism, that you can at one moment be in a crazy theme park, then next in a quiet country manor house. When you start fencing everything off, (rightly or wrongly) it seriously impedes that sense of being away from everything, and you are reminded of H&S etc.

I think, in this case, your view on Towers decreasing sense of freedom and environmental escapism will not be shared by many, and if indeed that is your view, then you yourself are missing out on one of the most important aspects of what made Towers a success in the first place.

And that my friend, is coming from a certified RIDE WHORE.
 
Forgive me but I think maybe we are over reacting a tad here. Firstly, it doesnt look "that" bad. Secondly, the steps at either end of that were badly worn, and very easy to fall down. Thirdly, how would we feel if the structure collapsed at one end in the future due to wear, and lastly, in this era of blame culture, if someone did fall off the edge or down the steps, guess who would have to foot the bill..... yep, Alton.

So if they had to then fork out a million or so in damages, and this stopped investment in the park, how would we then feel about that?

Yeah it does spoil the overall look, but it wont lead to bottlenecks and the structure will still be there for us to admire. I think the fence is partly due to H&S and partly due to preservation, but come on, its not that bad!!!
 
Upon seeing this topic and reading the suggestion of doing another open letter as with the Fanta incident I did a quick search of that event to refresh my memory. I forgot how bad it was! And that was only 1 of several complaints at the time.
(Just type in "Fanta Oblivion" to Google images)

This doesn't really compare. I agree that it is a shame to have the bridge fenced off like this but as others have mentioned there are plausible reasons for why this could be the case. Certainly from my most recent memory the bridge wasn't in the best condition. Of course it doesn't help they've taken the lazy route out rather than properly repairing the it but at least these fences haven't damaged the bridge (they could easily remove them and relay the path, perhaps improving on it like the lovely new market square at Chessington) and unlike the Fanta incident it is not a major eye sore.
 
I am pretty damn sure the planning application showed a fence along the top of the wall, thus allowing people to still walk along/experience the bridge as originally intended! While that still didn't look the best, it would be far more preferable to this!

As somebody currently studying Landscape Architcture, who has a love for historical landscapes and gardens... Seeing this genuinely makes me want to cry a little bit! It looks beyond awful, it really does! Having studied landscapes, I can also think of several ways that this could have been better implemented to please everybody! Same goes for those absolutely VILE mesh fences in 'Her Ladyships Gardens' because frankly they are an absolute abomination... Rancid!!

I will also say, the second anything like this happens on and wall or path in the gardens... I will go absolutely mental!!
 
Sammy said:
Same goes for those absolutely VILE mesh fences in 'Her Ladyships Gardens' because frankly they are an absolute abomination... Rancid!!
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I could not agree more with you there Sammy, they're awful!

I think what people are saying here is, it's not that there is a fence, it is how they're being implemented across park that seems to be almost sanitising the wider experience.

I've said this before, but the general public do notice this stuff and don't like it. The RITA scaffolding is quite universally despised, it really ruins the area - there is no excuse not to theme a tunnel if they need to keep it.

It's a trend I think that is worrying, from being an open space you can explore on your way around, to feeling more like you're constantly being directed - more akin to a game on "rails" VS an open environment.

It's by no means there yet, but it is getting worse.
 
I think if they had installed the fencing "on" the bridge it would have looked even worse.

Hey - at least it isnt scaffolding poles made into a fence - given Merlin that would have been entirely plausable!
 
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