In January 2022, Alton Towers submitted an application to confirm the lawfulness of maintenance works to Nemesis, with the intention of increasing the rollercoaster’s lifespan. September 2022 brought the confirmation that upon Nemesis closing at the end of the season it would undergo the planned refurbishment and reopen in 2024, with it eventually revealed that it would return as Nemesis Reborn. As the project progressed, it also became apparent that the wider area of Forbidden Valley would also be refreshed, with plans submitted in late 2023 for a new retail outlet and a replacement arcade building.
In summary, the plans showed that the vast majority of the track and supports would be replaced as part of the planned work, with the main exceptions being the infrastructure for the brake run, station and lift hill, since these areas had understandably not been exposed to the same stresses as the rest of the layout over the ride’s lifetime. The full details of what work would and wouldn’t be undertaken, as outlined in the planning application, are set out below:
What was involved?
- Replacement of coaster track from the crest of the lift hill, to the start of the brake run.
- Replacement of 89 of the 117 supports in these areas.
- Removal of 636 bolts which will be replaced and re-grouted.
- Localised maintenance undertaken to the theming and buildings as required.
- The tunnel section below the maintenance building will be retained as existing, and the coaster track which runs through the tunnel replaced alongside the structural beam.
- Footers will be strengthened in limited locations, and an additional foundation installed for a support on the downwards helix, which has received modifications in the past.
- The replacement track and supports will follow the existing layout and design, and will have the same appearance externally.
What wasn’t affected?
- The 28 supports located below the station building (6 pairs of columns), the station exit (6 columns) and the ride lift hill (5 pairs of columns) do not need to be replaced and will be retained.
- There are 112 rock anchors in some of the foundations below the supports which effectively fix the structure to the rock. These are steel bars approximately 9-10 metres in length. The rock anchors have been tested, and all 112 rock anchors will be retained. There are 43 other steel bars which are of a different design which also support columns. These will also be retained.
- The station building will be retained and so too will the theming – as noted above, localised maintenance to the theming will be undertaken as required.
- The maintenance and emergency access steps alongside the lift hill, track and supports.
- Retaining walls will be unaffected by the proposed maintenance works and will be retained as existing.
- The tunnels themselves within the development.
- The maintenance building and plant room.
- The photography building.
- The queue line, pathways and fencing.
- No trees will be removed as a result of the proposed works.
- Once the maintenance works are complete there will be no change to levels on site.
In late 2023, Alton Towers submitted two further planning applications for proposals to refresh other aspects of Forbidden Valley alongside the reopening of Nemesis in 2024.
The first was in respect of the former Ripsaw Café building, located between the former site of Ripsaw and the Rollercoaster Restaurant, with the plans detailing a proposed extension to the building, along with internal alterations in order to open the space as a new retail unit. The final exterior appearance of this was largely in line with the plans, with the most notable difference being that the area’s Refresh & Refill station was not relocated onto the refurbished building’s exterior as shown.
The second proposal was for the demolition of the existing Edge Games arcade, located opposite Nemesis Sub-Terra, in order to be replaced with a new purpose-built steel frame structure that would serve the same function. This was a much taller building than its predecessor, with the only difference between the realised building and the plans being further thematic details on its exterior, which were nonetheless referenced in the plans, despite not being shown in full.
