Legoland Windsor Resort have submitted a planning application to the Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead Council for the redevelopment of Adventure Land, suggesting the popular Windsor attraction could be seeing its very own THE LEGO® MOVIE™ World arrive at the theme park. Attraction Source examines all the details of this latest development.
Located in the eastern part of Legoland Windsor Resort, the submitted plans, currently known as “Project Rex”, propose to redevelop a large section of Adventure Land, one of the oldest areas of the theme park, which is home to SQUID Surfer, Harbourside Fish and Chips, Picnic Grove, and a number of smaller games, retail and F&B kiosks.
The main attraction within the proposals is set to be located in the southern part of the proposed development site and will see a 13m high building constructed to house an indoor attraction. Plans show that the front of the building will be finished in a lavender colour and take on the appearance of a dog with its tongue out, with a colourful paved courtyard area to the front of the attraction. This area will also include a covered queue, a 3.4m high entrance portal, models and interactive features. Diagrams illustrating the interior of the building suggest that the attraction will be a flying theatre attraction, indicating that it will be the same, or very similar to, THE LEGO® MOVIE™ Masters of Flight at Legoland Florida Resort.
Also proposed is a drop tower ride located in the centre of the new land. Comprising two steel drop towers, a control cabin, and a partially covered queue, the new ride will be constructed on the site where currently there is an existing dead tree stump which will need to be located due to the need to retain the stump’s ecological function. Submitted drawings of the new ride show each tower will be topped with a theming feature which is the same design as the Unikitty character from THE LEGO® MOVIE™, suggesting the attraction will be similar to Legoland Florida Resort’s Unikitty’s Disco Drop.
Two further additions are also planned for the new area. Play equipment will be constructed next to harbourside Fish and Chips, with the proposed designs indicating Benny’s Play Ship will be landing in the area. A ‘photo opportunity building’ will be built in the western part of the development area, which will be designed to be a replica of ‘a well-known’ Lego concept. Descriptions of the building within the plans suggest that this will be a character meet and greet area, similar to Emmet’s Super Suite at Legoland Florida Resort. Next to the ‘photo opportunity building’ will be a ‘games unit kiosk’ which will also serve as a location to purchase and collect photographs from.
Whilst Harbourside Fish and Chips and SQUID Surfer will remain within the new area, plans show that both will be rethemed and updated to blend in with the new development. Although not confirmed within the planning documents, one potential option for SQUID Surfer could be to re-theme it along the lines of Legoland Florida’s Battle of Bricksburg with plans for the area showing DUPLO models will be added around the ride.
If approved, it is currently anticipated that the new area will be constructed over the course of two closed seasons, with some work also taking place during the main 2020 season. This would lead to a current proposed opening date of 2021 for the new area. Initially, this new land was proposed for a different location within the theme park as part of the Resort’s Long Term Development Plan. However, due to the length of time taken to gain planning consent (21 months), the initial plans had to be delayed, and a new location within the theme park found to allow for ease of access during construction. The planning application has also highlighted the need for these proposals to be considered within the expected timeframe in order to allow for there to be sufficient time to construct the new area in time for the 2021 season.
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