Chessington World of Adventures Resort have today commenced a two week public consultation on a proposed new themed ‘Amazon Land’ encompassing a rollercoaster and two children’s rides, providing a first look at the prospective attractions.
Planned to be located on the field opposite Dragon’s Fury, in the southern area of the Resort, the attractions would form an entirely new themed area, currently referred to as ‘Amazon Land’. The rollercoaster would of course be the centrepiece, with it stated that “guests will be propelled on a car through banks and turns before coming to a dead end on the track adjacent to a themed structure on the southern part of the site; the car will then be propelled along the same route back to the station located on the north east part of the site”.
Concept images released, suggest it could be a Wing Coaster manufactured by Bolliger & Mabillard, based on the style of track shown and the inclusion of air gates on both sides of the open-air station. Despite being the same ride type as The Swarm at Thorpe Park Resort, the proposed layout would be more suited to Chessington’s family audience, and the description and layout plan suggests it would feature an initial backwards launch out of the station, before being further propelled through the main course, which runs around the outside of the land, up into a large spike element that loops around a rock ‘animal feature’, with the appearance of a lion. It would then return through the layout backwards under gravity. It appears as though the route will include one inversion, a shallow zero-g roll, positioned over the area’s entrance/exit which would be experienced both forwards and backwards.
The exact children’s rides that would feature in the area are to be confirmed, but two will be chosen from the four low-level rides currently under consideration. The concepts suggest the Resort will choose between a Jump n Smile, Technical Park Bateaux Volants, Zierer Jet Skis, and a Technical Park Super Miami.
The potential to install a new medium-sized coaster, targeted at families with children aged 5-12, on the same site, was first outlined back in April 2016, when the Resort consulted on their new long term plan. At the time, concepts featured in the proposals suggested it could be either a ‘Wild Jungle Ride’ or a ‘Water Coaster’. The final long term development plan was submitted a year later in April 2017, indicating the new rollercoaster (site 7) could open between 2020-22. The latest proposals revealed today, could put the development on course for a 2023 opening, with a full planning application expected to be submitted in July 2021 for approval by October 2021, allowing construction to start in January 2022. If ultimately approved, this would make it the first rollercoaster to open at the Resort since Dragon’s Fury in 2004.
A full summary of the plans is available now online. The Resort will be hosting two virtual presentation and Q&A events tomorrow (Tuesday 18th May) at 1pm and 7.30pm, and a recording from this will be available on Wednesday 19th May. It will be possible to access both of these from Chessington’s website. Comments can be submitted up to Monday 31st May either by online survey or by emailing consultation@chessington.co.uk.
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