Wicker Man - General Discussion

[Ladyofthelake]

Thorpe didn't begin work before permission was granted. They submitted their initial application which was granted, this therefore enabled them to begin basic clearing work on the site. As part of the consent, a number of conditions were imposed for which Thorpe had to submit further plans to Runnymeade council before the most recent work could commence.

Thorpe are in a very different position to Towers planning wise. Towers have alot more restrictions which means it is unlikely any SW8 related work can begin before permission is given. It is, however, possible that checks or surveys may be carried out to provide information to go in the planning application and in some cases this does involve soil testing.

[Owen]

I was thinking this as well, I was unsure about the date construction started hence my use of '?' So thanks for clearing that up

[MakoMania]

Will SW8 be delayed because of today's events with the smiler? It isn't exactly encouraging for the public!

[Benb]

It's slated for 2018, isn't it? So I doubt the smiler will have much of an impact by then (at-least let's hope not).... this may alter the intended ride type though. We may be given something more sensory/indoors instead of a rollercoaster as AT might go into rollercoaster shock over these next few months during what would be the planning stages.

[Alex]

No SW8 is due to open in 2017 and it was/is going to be a wooden ride as the screening documents stated it would have "timber truss" supports. However after yesterday's events would it be wise to build a wooden coaster as the next development? Depending on how far down the process the next ride is, Merlin may look to try to change that.

[Nathan_Fisher]

I would assume after all the investigation has cleared and the victims are recovered, Merlin's main priority is to fix the issue with the Smiler before even starting construction on a new ride. I have no idea how long that would take and whether they would prioritise this first.

[cookiee_munster]

No SW8 is due to open in 2017 and it was/is going to be a wooden ride as the screening documents stated it would have "timber truss" supports. However after yesterday's events would it be wise to build a wooden coaster as the next development? Depending on how far down the process the next ride is, Merlin may look to try to change that.

Yeah, i agree with this. i think what with the stigma wooden rollercoasters get anyway with the general public, i don't think it would be wise to go with a wooden rollercoaster for the next SW. I think any plans for any new attractions right now may be put on hold and money spent towards working out the smilers problems.

[sw7nutter]

The next investment would have cost them anywhere from £12m upwards. The smiler will take no where near that money to fix. What AT need to do is to convince people back which will require investment in new rides and attractions. As a result SW8 I believe will still go ahead as planned. A lot of work would have gone into planning and development and I'm quite sure they will try to salvage most, if not all, of the work they have done.

[TheBeast]

Arguably the issues with the Smiler may put Alton off anything new...they have gone for a few World's Firsts in the past few years and been unsuccessful- we saw Thirteen which turned out to be pretty uninspiring, and now the Smiler has had some issues also

On the other side of it, Alton will need people to come back into park, which indicates they will go for something big. It really depends on the cause of the Smilers issues tbh

[Ryan.B]

The smiler has no worlds first. It was claimed as the worlds first 14 looping rollercoaster, but that isn't a worlds first. It's a record breaker, the train design and momentum on the smiler are likely why it stalled. It has nothing to do with worlds first technology I believe. Anyway back on topic, I don't believe the smiler will affect SW8. If anything they will want it to come quicker to rise attendance after the crash on the smiler. I hope this turns out to be RMC a, but more Outlaw Run style than the others.

[JammyBand]

I agree, a ride similar to Outlaw Run would be incredible, and would fit perfectly into that wooded area that's been outlined for SW8. They wouldn't want anything reminding people of the death that occured on the New Texas Giant. However, it's always been reasoned that the public think wooden coasters are too dangerous, and I think especially after the incident on The Smiler this may could be the case and they may be a lot more apprehensive to creating a wooden coaster.

[Ryan.B]

i just want a ride like outlaw run with wooden track (still features inversions) and feels more like a traditional woodie, and apparently more airtime!

[Stan.H]

Forgetting about tree limit, El Toro! Or The Voyage

[Jamster42]

I just fear that the go will view a woodie as unsafe especially after this incident. However assuming we get one ,which is likely, I would like something similar to outlaw run defiantly.

[stealthsmiler]

I personally think (could be wrong here) that SW8 may get pushed back, as in the design pushed back and a new one used. We know they were funny about getting a wooden in the first place and with this happening with the Smiler during the planning stages, I think we may see some changes. For me, a logical choice would be B&M. They have a good relationship with the park and company and have very reliable rides. Maybe a hyper through the valley seen as there isnt really any coaster types left that add to an experience and Merlin probably wont go with a multi inversion coaster. Intamin could also be used who do have some different coaster types.

SW8 will need to be super reliable as you can bet that the media will drag up the Smilers issues to try and create the whole ' Alton Towers new coasters are safe ' story.

[TheBeast]

The media is pretty much always going to be critical now, no matter how safe the rides actually are. The reporters arent experts on rollercoasters, they are like the general public just with the power to destroy things. Especially if they get a wooden ride, the journalists will jump on that as they are seen as rickety and dangerous. Maybe the will push it back, but tbh I doubt it

[Wildboy]

I forsee that SW8 will now be completely rethought. Its taken this long to justify a woody due to the supposed unsafe public perception. AT will now want to reinforce to families that AT is perfectly safe so I expect SW8 to be a tame family ride with a focus on experience rather than thrills.

[Adz]

I forsee that SW8 will now be completely rethought. Its taken this long to justify a woody due to the supposed unsafe public perception. AT will now want to reinforce to families that AT is perfectly safe so I expect SW8 to be a tame family ride with a focus on experience rather than thrills.

I fear you are right and as sad as it would be, I don't think anyone would blame them for changing the plans. Best case scenario would be a delay to rebuild trust first.

[BigToaster]

I'm new to this forum and I'm going to ask a very silly question that will probably make me sound stupid.

What does SW mean?

Thanks

[Danny]

I'm new to this forum and I'm going to ask a very silly question that will probably make me sound stupid.

What does SW mean?

Thanks

SW simply means Secret Weapon. It is the term Alton Towers use for all their latest and record holding attractions. Nemesis was SW3, Oblivion SW4, Air SW5, Thirteen SW6, The Smiler SW7, and we are speculating that their latest coaster will be SW8. Rita is the only one that wasn't an SW, but it has nothing unique about it.

Hope this helps