Following its submission in early November, the planning application for a new indoor attraction at Alton Towers Resort, codenamed Project Horizon, has been subject to the usual statutory consultation phase. This requires a number of official parties to be consulted on the plans, along with the opportunity for members of the public to comment on the proposals. With a number of these raising concerns about the prospective attraction, we round-up the application’s current status.
The planning documents submitted to Staffordshire Moorlands District Council (SMDC) detailed an attraction building of approximately 71m in length, 46m in width and 19.4m in height, to be constructed in the former Coaster Corner area, in the most south-western part of the theme park. The building was stated to comprise a steel portal frame and be clad in nonreflective dark green cladding and sheeting panels, with a hipped roof to the south. A smaller building extending from the eastern elevation of the main building (40m x 10m) is also proposed. A themed feature will be installed on this same elevation, which faces into the theme park, with plans showing this incorporating a large angled arch along with additional colours and theming.
It should firstly be noted that several of the statutory consultees have not taken issue with the proposals. The SMDC Environmental Health team raised no objections to the application, subject to the inclusion of conditions to mitigate the risk arising from potential contamination of the existing site (e.g. from chemicals or asbestos) as well as that of any soil or other materials imported onto the site as part of the development. The Environment Agency also responded with a similar opinion, confirming that they have no objections subject to the inclusion of a condition. While the Staffordshire County Council (SCC) Flood Risk Team have not objected to the application, they have requested that the drainage strategy be updated with the results of infiltration testing and the plans be revised as appropriate based on the results of this.
Other consultees, such as the School Organisation Team, Asset Protection Team and Designing Out Crime Officer, have noted that there aren’t really any aspects of the proposals that fall within their respective scopes. However, the latter does note that, depending on the nature of the attraction, consideration may need to be given to ensuring there is a suitable system for storing guests belongings to prevent theft. Clearly this would be relevant if the attraction is to be a rollercoaster, in which case there would presumably be a baggage hold, as with the Resort’s other coasters.
However, there have been a number of objections registered by local residents, including those on Farley Lane who are in the closest vicinity to the proposed site. These argue that there are inadequacies in the noise assessment undertaken, as well as asserting the belief that the visual impact from the proposed building would be unacceptable given its height and potential external lighting. They also question the claim that no additional traffic will be created by the development, based on their experience of visitation increasing following past major developments. Alton Parish Council have also objected to the application on similar grounds, as well as raising concerns about the potential noise impact from guests using the external queue line and any audio systems utilised here. Nonetheless, there are also comments from local residents pledging their support for the proposals, based on the positive economic impact as a result of job creation and that it will help sustain the Resort as a major leisure attraction. Indeed, the response of SMDC’s Regeneration Officer also notes that the economic benefits provided by the development aligns with the region’s wider plans.
With this said, shortly before Christmas, Historic England also provided its response noting that it is clear that the building would be visible from the wider area and that it has concerns on heritage grounds. Its recommendation is that alternative, less prominent locations are considered for the attraction, with it expressing that it is unclear from the application documents why the Coaster Corner site has been selected. They also note the concern that the development in its current location could set an “unfortunate precedent”, if it is the first of several incremental incursions into a historic landscape which together would then have a “harmful cumulative impact”. SMDC’s own Conservation Officer has also expressed similar concerns, highlighting that the chosen location is at the highest point of the Resort. These comments came after the officer made a site visit in the first half of December, where they noted that there were extensive views from the site towards Alton village, both as a result of the time of year impacting the cover provided by the trees, as well as the topographical nature of the surrounding land. Furthermore, they have again raised the question of whether sufficient exploration of other potential locations occurred in reaching the decision that Coaster Corner was best-suited for the large building that is proposed. A separate point is also made that there is no mention of any heritage investment into the Flag Tower that would see the conservation of this directly integrated into the proposals. Instead the officer notes that the consensus of the application is that “any opportunity to address or deal with the Flag Tower seems to have been determined to be a lost cause”.
The date currently being targeted for a decision on the application is 26th January 2023, which is when the next meeting of the SMDC Planning Committee is scheduled for. However, this will be contingent on the remaining consultees providing a response and the Resort requiring time to respond to the concerns raised so far, as well as anything additional. It seems that the Resort and its planning consultants will at the very least need to provide further information to address these, including explaining the rationale for the chosen location. However, with the Resort being challenged on both the location and size of the building, this could require more substantial changes to be made, whether that be relocating the attraction to somewhere else on the Resort’s grounds or reworking the structure of the building itself – perhaps the potential solution here would be to dig down below ground level, as has often been necessary when installing previous major attractions. If a decision is deferred beyond January in order to facilitate the above, then the application will presumably be considered at the next possible meeting, with these occurring on a monthly basis.
TowersTimes will continue to bring you the latest updates on Project Horizon as they emerge. Let us know your thoughts on the potential impact on the development via our social media channels.
