Thorpe Park Resort - The Future

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Coastersnaps
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Along with the other “teasers” they seem to be posting if you check out their cover photo on Facebook it is a glitching video of the season pass.

They seem to like this glitching theme going on!
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rainbowryder
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"System initialising_ #ThOrpEpaRk" was the caption for the fuzzy Stealth photo on Instagram 5 days ago.

The same hashtag and photo effect was used for a photo of Nemesis Inferno on Valentines Day, making me think that these hints aren't just directed towards Stealth.
Another picture of Stealth posted yesterday with pixelated faces had the caption, "Let's face it, Stealth is the best coaster in the UK" with the same hashtag. 

Do you think this is pointing towards a new event for this year? I am getting GameFX vibes tbh. Or do you think it is something else altogether? 
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Coastersnaps
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Posted another photo earlier on with the same style. This time it was Colossus that was featured.
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Coaster Chall
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It may be too soon since Black Mirror Labyrinth hasn't opened yet, but I do wonder what they could do in 2021... Any realistic ideas would help until we get any teasers from the park
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rainbowryder
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Looking at Thorpe Park on Google Maps really shows how much free space they have. 

- The Saw: Alive building is not being used, meaning that the queue line and that whole path is not being used (apart from an unnecessary "short cut" between Lost City and Saw). The Bouncezilla site is also an area nearby that could be used for an attraction. It'd be nice to see a family style coaster with an entrance at the Bouncezilla site and the coaster stretching out next to the water up to the Saw area and back. I really don't think that path is necessary without Saw: Alive and with the parallel path going through the Colossus site. The Saw: Alive path would also be a nice area for a tall flat or a vertical coaster like a Sky Rocket II or a 4D free spin.

- Slammer replacement. An obvious area for another flat. It'd have to be quite a bit smaller if the queue is being used for Black Mirror though. 

- The new land behind The Swarm for a new large coaster and area, connected by a path from The Swarm island and a path adjacent to or replacing the sunken gardens. 

- Loggers Leap area - of course it would be nice to have a coaster passing through the woods. I am not sure how many trees the council would allow Thorpe Park to remove for a coaster round here, and how easy it would be for the foundations of the coaster passing over the lake. However, not using this land seems a waste. 

- The patch of grass next to Thorpe Shark Hotel - more "hotel" rooms? An area used for more entertainment for guests staying the night? I've heard it can be pretty boring after the park closes and the park needs more activities for people staying over and this area is free and in the right location. 

I feel like Thorpe Park has so much more potential. Merlin liked to have unique attractions, but don't have the budget of Disney or Universal to pull it off as well. The park needs to invest in a few attractions they know is a safe bet, to avoid unreliability. This would save them money in the long run and allow for faster development. Thorpe Park haven't had a big investment in a permanent attraction since Derren Brown's Ghost Train. We need SOMETHING thrilling that is shown to work at drawing in the crowds at other parks. 
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Coaster Chall
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Looking back over the last couple of years on this thread, I wanted to conduct my own personal 5 year plan for Thorpe Park (realistically):

2021 - New events and more improvements to park infastructure
2022 - New family/thrill attraction(s) (Zamperla Hawk - aka Lumberjack at Canada's Wonderland and/or Zamperla Endeavor - Replacing the original Zodiac model)
2023 - Off Year (Preparation from winter 2022/23 for 2024/25 coaster)
2024 - Waterside Hotel plans expire (New one is put in beforehand for a 2026/27 opening Hotel accommodation project) 
2024/25 - New Coaster (B&M Dive or RMC Ibox on Swarm Island or Old Thorpe Shark Hotel site)

Other Long Term Predictions:
- Loggers Leap reopens in a new water coaster ride system
- Storm Surge removed
- Slammer gets either demolished or potentially modernised and reopened
- Rumba Rapids replaced with new rapids system (maybe Mystic River Falls type ride system with a lift hill, drop and themed story around the Jungle area)
- Saw and Walking Dead IPs renewed or removed
- Angry Birds IP removed or renewed (Possibly back to Amity theme)
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FOGplaya
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Here's my dream pitch for the next major development - let's pretend COVID never happened and fiduciary / zoning restraints are notwithstanding for this gentle thought exercise. These plans would a) make use of the land left by Logger's Leap, b) create a new water ride in lieu of LL, and C) replace / re-use the site being used by Slammer.

The Abbey (Old Town replacement land)
- Medieval themed, spooky
- “Before Thorpe Park, when ghouls and spectres haunted the countryside, there was The Abbey.” 

Rides: 
- Boggart (Lumber Jump)
o Re-themed to medieval agrarian English folklore
- Lindworm (Rocky Express) 
o Re-themed after mythical dragon
o https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lindworm
- Timber Tugboat 
o Re-sited or removed for 1066 / The Headless Monk queue line
 Possible re-site to Amity? Or closer to SAW?
- 1066*: Intamin Rides - Ultra Splash 
o Themed on the Norman invasion of England
o https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GYIpJLMRizg
o Situated at edge of park, on Monk’s Walk, near bank of Britannia Arena
o *Alternate Names: Invader, Invasion
- The Headless Monk*: GCI Steel Track Wooden Coaster
o World’s First GCI Steel Track / Wooden Coaster https://greatcoasters.com/steel-track 
o Starts in an old, ruined abbey / castle structure
o Roughly encompasses Logger’s Leap track / area, out and back style
o Between a thrill-ride and family-ride, think: Wicker Man at Alton Towers, longer, but under 100ft, light horror vibe that appeals to older kids as well as teens and adults
o Dark-ride element & queue line like SAW / TWD
o Emphasis on head-chopper moments, deep interaction with woods 
o Themed around legend of Thorpe Headless Monk https://news.sky.com/story/bosses-move- ... e-10489622 
o *Alternate Names: Wraith, Revenant, The Monk’s Revenge, Revenge, Chopper, Executioner
- Anguish: Intamin Tourbillon OR Huss Giant Top Spin / Suspended Top Spin
o Replaces Slammer
o Themed after medieval torture device
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Throwing it back to 2017 with a repost of the following post relating to Thorpe's application for 'permitted development rights', which has today been granted an extension of time to 13 April 2021 for a decision. This comes after more than a year of inactivity, suggesting that they may now finally be looking to make progress on this in the coming months, which could perhaps be a promising sign of upcoming new developments...
Now it's not particularly exciting (unless you're a keen enthusiast for the technicalities of planning) but Thorpe Park yesterday submitted an application "to partially re-instate permitted development rights to allow the erection of temporary buildings & structures &/or temporary use of land; booths and stalls and plant and machinery without the need for a specific planning permission on defined areas of the site".

These 'permitted development rights' (PDRs) are what allow the installation of buildings and attractions up to a certain height without the need to apply for planning permission at other theme parks, including Alton Towers as most will know. The cover letter (which anyone curious about the application is welcome to read) gives the following reasoning for wanting to reintroduce parts of the GPDO:
It is considered that the adoption of PDRs will provide Thorpe Park with the flexibility to provide small scale kiosks, stalls, small scale rides up to specific agreed heights (temporary and permanent) without the need to apply for full planning permission, whilst also removing the Council’s requirement to consider numerous small scale minor development proposals, with the assurance that there is sufficient control on future development at the Park.
So here are the specifics of what Thorpe Park are requesting:
  1. Part 4 of the Town and Country Planning (General Permitted Development) Order 2015 (GPDO) to be reintroduced across the area within the blue line on plan ref. 472-9-121.1 Rev A, permitting temporary buildings and structures and/or temporary use of the land;
  2. Full Part 18 Class B of the Town and Country Planning (General Permitted Development) Order 2015 (GPDO) to apply to the land within the black line on plan ref. 472-9-121.1 Rev A, permitting the erection of booths or stalls up to 5m in height, the extension of existing booths/stalls not exceeding 5m in height or the height of the roof of the existing building/structure (whichever is the greater) or the installation of plant or machinery (including rides) up to 25m in height; and
  3. Part of Part 18 Class B of the Town and Country Planning (General Permitted Development) Order 2015 (GPDO) to apply to the land within the green line on plan ref. 472-9-121.1 Rev A, permitting the erection and/or extension of booths or stalls as above but not the erection of plant/machinery i.e. rides.
Image

The bit about allowing the installation of rides up to 25m in height is probably of the most interest to people, but the application highlights that this is actually lower than the 30m threshold previously agreed with the council, so doesn't really represent any significant change. The viewpoint images give an indication of the scale of attraction that could be constructed given the 25m limit (red columns), and interestingly also simulate the height on the Fleet Peninsular PDR area (blue columns) - could this indicate a potential site that Thorpe are thinking of developing with the addition of such an attraction? It's perhaps also curious that the application seems to make a point of highlighting the 50m coaster that was approved for the Island next to The Swarm's - could this again give some indication of what Thorpe are considering for an upcoming major addition?

Image

If approved, obviously the intended outcome is that the Resort aren't obligated to submit as many planning applications, which may mean we may not be aware of the addition of rides and attractions until there are signs of construction. However, it is stated "that, as set out under the GPDO, any development that would trigger the need for Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) (including potential for a significant landscape or visual effect) would require an application for planning permission to be submitted to RBC alongside an EIA", therefore we may still get to see applications for large, major investments.
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Bert
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lewis97 wrote:Throwing it back to 2017 with a repost of the following post relating to Thorpe's application for 'permitted development rights', which has today been granted an extension of time to 13 April 2021 for a decision. This comes after more than a year of inactivity, suggesting that they may now finally be looking to make progress on this in the coming months, which could perhaps be a promising sign of upcoming new developments...
Now it's not particularly exciting (unless you're a keen enthusiast for the technicalities of planning) but Thorpe Park yesterday submitted an application "to partially re-instate permitted development rights to allow the erection of temporary buildings & structures &/or temporary use of land; booths and stalls and plant and machinery without the need for a specific planning permission on defined areas of the site".

These 'permitted development rights' (PDRs) are what allow the installation of buildings and attractions up to a certain height without the need to apply for planning permission at other theme parks, including Alton Towers as most will know. The cover letter (which anyone curious about the application is welcome to read) gives the following reasoning for wanting to reintroduce parts of the GPDO:
It is considered that the adoption of PDRs will provide Thorpe Park with the flexibility to provide small scale kiosks, stalls, small scale rides up to specific agreed heights (temporary and permanent) without the need to apply for full planning permission, whilst also removing the Council’s requirement to consider numerous small scale minor development proposals, with the assurance that there is sufficient control on future development at the Park.
So here are the specifics of what Thorpe Park are requesting:
  1. Part 4 of the Town and Country Planning (General Permitted Development) Order 2015 (GPDO) to be reintroduced across the area within the blue line on plan ref. 472-9-121.1 Rev A, permitting temporary buildings and structures and/or temporary use of the land;
  2. Full Part 18 Class B of the Town and Country Planning (General Permitted Development) Order 2015 (GPDO) to apply to the land within the black line on plan ref. 472-9-121.1 Rev A, permitting the erection of booths or stalls up to 5m in height, the extension of existing booths/stalls not exceeding 5m in height or the height of the roof of the existing building/structure (whichever is the greater) or the installation of plant or machinery (including rides) up to 25m in height; and
  3. Part of Part 18 Class B of the Town and Country Planning (General Permitted Development) Order 2015 (GPDO) to apply to the land within the green line on plan ref. 472-9-121.1 Rev A, permitting the erection and/or extension of booths or stalls as above but not the erection of plant/machinery i.e. rides.
Image

The bit about allowing the installation of rides up to 25m in height is probably of the most interest to people, but the application highlights that this is actually lower than the 30m threshold previously agreed with the council, so doesn't really represent any significant change. The viewpoint images give an indication of the scale of attraction that could be constructed given the 25m limit (red columns), and interestingly also simulate the height on the Fleet Peninsular PDR area (blue columns) - could this indicate a potential site that Thorpe are thinking of developing with the addition of such an attraction? It's perhaps also curious that the application seems to make a point of highlighting the 50m coaster that was approved for the Island next to The Swarm's - could this again give some indication of what Thorpe are considering for an upcoming major addition?

Image

If approved, obviously the intended outcome is that the Resort aren't obligated to submit as many planning applications, which may mean we may not be aware of the addition of rides and attractions until there are signs of construction. However, it is stated "that, as set out under the GPDO, any development that would trigger the need for Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) (including potential for a significant landscape or visual effect) would require an application for planning permission to be submitted to RBC alongside an EIA", therefore we may still get to see applications for large, major investments.
Out of interest, is this something that the council has automatically extended or has the park chosen to extend the deadline?

It would be interesting if Thorpe Park have renewed this though, especially since I'd assume that those plans would be really outdated by now, certainly with COVID.
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jakstamp1
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Do you think Thorpe will ever get an rmc in the next 2-3 years? I think no because the only space that they could have is get rid of Loggers Leap and thats turned into Creak Freak massacre and that will be lasting a couple of years I imagine. 
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Chris
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Out of interest, is this something that the council has automatically extended or has the park chosen to extend the deadline?
I believe this has been requested by the park / Merlin which is a great sign that they are keen to proceed with development within a few years.
Do you think Thorpe will ever get an rmc in the next 2-3 years? I think no because the only space that they could have is get rid of Loggers Leap and thats turned into Creak Freak massacre and that will be lasting a couple of years I imagine.
I hope so - the feedback has been very clear that Thorpe need a new coaster or major ride, and an RMC would be a good fit. They do have the infilled island next to The Swarm which can be used, but this would be more expensive to build on as the infrastructure must come with it. Building a coaster around the Logger's Leap route would make more sense initially, as Old Town is a pretty uneventful area at the moment. Am guessing the removal of Logger's Leap would be included as part of the capex investment.
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