Thorpe Park Resort has today submitted further details regarding the external materials due to be used for Project Exodus, which is set to be the tallest roller coaster in the UK when it opens in 2024. This comes following the decision by Runnymede Borough Council to unanimously approve the planning application in November last year.
This latest submission is intended to discharge a condition that was attached to the application’s approval which required details of the external materials to be used during the construction of the new roller coaster to be provided to the council prior to development commencing. However, this condition was recently subject to a non-material amendment to instead require these details prior to the start of ‘above ground works’, enabling the Resort to begin work on-site in advance of providing these details. Included is information about the roofing that is intended to be used, along with further depictions of the impact the roller coaster will have on the skyline and sight lines from surrounding areas. Perhaps most interestingly, further details surrounding the colour scheme and station design have also been released within the supporting documents!
The colour palette submitted names Pearl Gold and Papyrus White as being chosen for the roller coaster track itself. The track will have a gradient similar to that of Stealth, where the gold colour will continue up to the top of the tree line, before gradually fading to white above this level to reduce the visual impact, particularly from wider views outside of the Resort. This will occur between 28m – 33m above ground level. The cover letter provided by Lichfields, the Resort’s planning consultants, states that the colour chosen for the coaster’s track is considered contextually appropriate and was discussed and agreed with officers as part of pre-application discussions in November 2022.
In all: Pearl Gold, Umbra Grey, Black Grey, Pearl Beige, Pure White, and Papyrus White have been named as colours that will be used across the development of the former Old Town area of the Resort. The report details that surrounding metal fences will also be coloured in pearl gold, further incorporating the colour scheme of the roller coaster into the surrounding area. Although the fence pictured features hieroglyphics, no reference to this feature is made in the documents themselves. Indeed, these are similar to those used on the queue line fence for Croc Drop at Chessington World of Adventures, so it could just be reflective of a re-use of the sample materials on another development.
The station building will feature a combination of natural timber cladding, and mesh covered metal sheeting. The roofing for the building will be a single span, slightly slanted roof. The colours used on the station will be that of a grey roof, with wood, metal mesh and black grey aluminium powder coated metal used on its sides. It will feature panels in pearl gold, along with what appears to be golden theming pieces located at various places on the station. Most notably these theming pieces appear in the centre of the station’s side profile, as well as above the entrance door and where the track exits the building at what will be the start of the ride. From the design featured within these updated planning drawings, the theming additions appear bird-like in shape, with what looks to be a central body with two wing-shaped protrusions.
The food and beverage kiosk in the queue line, as well as the joint photo collection and retail building along the ride’s exit route will adopt a similar colour scheme to that of the station, featuring a black/grey base structure finished with graphics, along with golden embellishments in the form of vertical panels. In a similar vein, the maintenance building will feature the same colour scheme, although the golden panelling will be limited to the ends of the building, while the shutter doors where the trains can enter/exit and steel-framed doors through which staff can access the building will be finished in ‘PPC brown’.
After the approval of the planning application at the end of last year, the Resort got to work clearing the site in January, including demolishing Logger’s Leap in the months that followed. The Resort have been sharing regular updates of the latest progress via a newly created Annual Passholders group. This included confirmation that the rollercoaster is being manufactured by Mack Rides, upon the Resort taking delivery of footer pins for the supports’ foundations.
What do you make of the proposed colour scheme for Project Exodus? What do you think the symbol featured on the plans could represent? Be sure to let us know via the Attraction Source social media channels!
