10 years later...

[.Will]

[quote=""D4n""]

The what?

The Mid Term Development Plan. It's still available on the AT Heritage website I believe, if you haven't seen it before - [url=http://www.altontowersheritage.com/deve ... topicid=14" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;]http://www.altontowersheritage.com/deve ... topicid=14[/url]

[/quote]

:censored: how did I miss that?

Thanks Dan.

[Chris W]

Oh the MTDP, that was meant to be submitted to the council months ago and we haven't heard anything about it since June 2009. (Check the TT News archives for more details)

I have no idea what Alton Towers will be doing in the next 10 years, as they seem to be doing the usual: "We'll figure out what we will put in next year whenever we get time."

[Jordan]

I think that over the next few years, prices will continue to rise, but over the next five or six years overall gate figures will fall in relation to the price increases. I don't think that Merlin quite understand how price-elastic the UK theme park industry is, and that there may be a decrease in gate figures on the years directly after a large attraction opening (eg. 2011 and 2012, 2015 and 2016) as more people will vote with their pockets. As the UK economy will eventually recover towards the end of the decade, holidays abroad will become more common again - even for those who may only barely be able to afford them - and so fewer people will visit the perceived poor-value UK theme parks.

On a more attraction-related note, I think that we will see the back of Spinball around the same time as a possible Flume replacement, or a development in the Black Hole tent. I'm sure that a new family attraction for Adventure/Storybook Land would be opened around this time too, with possibly a retheme.

Obviously we are going to see SW7 by 2014, which is most likely to be built in the car park behind Air. However, I wonder if we would see an Secret Weapon 8, especially since there would be very limited room to expand, and I cannot possibly see Alton Towers removing any of their more 'iconic' attractions, such as Oblivion, Nemesis and Air.

[Blaze]

There's lots of room for development, it's just getting the planners and locals to let them use it. By 2021 SW7 will be long built, SW8 will probably be open and SW9 on the way or even already open depending on if they keep the 4 year gap or shorten it to 3.

[fredward]

Well according to a certain pattern there should be SW7 & SW8 and we should be getting speculation involving SW8, no idea where they will fit however!

[olé]

As much as I'd hate to see them go, I wouldn't be surprised if one of Nemesis, Oblivion, Air, or Rita had gone by 2021 - most likely through maintenance related reasons - Nemesis' loop has already caused trouble

A Storybook Land/Old McDonalds Farm retheme is a must as well, but then that almost already happened - 2012 almost definitely.

As someone else said, I reckon a third hotel is almost a definite, as is a rise in gate ticket prices. However, maybe a move towards Six Flags-esque "Pay once, get an extremely basic AP" ticketing model?

I'd also like to see that possibility of an Alton Towers train station they mentioned realised - or at least a free shuttle bus from Uttoxeter/Stoke

Wouldn't it be nice if they stuck to a Thorpe-style 'big, medium, small' investment cycle? :P

Oh, and I'm new here. Hey everyone

[.Will]

Welcome Ole! And noticed in your post that you said Nemesis had had some trouble, what happened with the loop?

[olé]

Thanks

Didn't they have to replace the supports during the '09/'10 closed season? Or some major renovation, at least. It was certainly covered in scaffolding during Adrenaline Week/February Half Term... I remember seeing the disused barriers from Splash Karts in the car park while walking back to the car, and (bizarrely) mistaking them for Nemesis supports #-o

[El Patricko]

more like that it was a minor hairline fault in one of the supports for the zero-g roll, i think it was just a detailed check and there may not of even been a fault. something which is checked frequently and to be honest is not as drastic as it sounds.

There was also a fairly recent re-vamp of the station building which (even if only briefly) restored it to its original form

Well 10 years time i can see storybook and the farm being one larger area. I think there may be a new annual pass entrance further up from duel. SW7 in the current parking spaces behind air (with the overflow meadow being landscaped into parking facilities). No submission, no blade (replaced) and no charlie and the plasterboard factory. I also think a new dark ride would be bangtidy in the farm area.

[olé]

Oh, fair enough. I think it was more than routine though, as it was initially scheduled to be in the Adrenaline Week/Half Term opening, but they had to replace it with Rita

[rct3wild]

In ten years time I think they will stop charging to park and start charging to use the monorail.

[Pennywise]

[quote=""rct3wild""]In ten years time I think they will stop charging to park and start charging to use the monorail.[/quote]

What on earth would be in the point of that? Not least because, if that was the case, virtually everybody would walk to the park rather than use it. Therefore making the Monorail pointless.

[Magrathea]

It would also seriously slow down an already usually-insanely-long queue.
What were your reasons for this?

[rct3wild]

It would encourage people to walk being more environmentally friendly.

[[Archive]]

It would only be environmentally friendly if they stopped using the monorail altogether therefore saving electricity costs, but even then there would only be a very slight difference in electricity usage. The fact that more people would walk would mean better exercise, but it would not help the environment.

[El Patricko]

i soo wish there was still a booo button, what a stupid thing to say!.

I mean screw the environment for starters it's a theme park, if you want to save the planet go to the eden project and if you want to have fun, go to alton towers.

I would probably ride the monorail on purpose more if i knew it was making environmentalists upset

But i seriously would like to see more indoor attractions come along in the next 10 years

[rct3wild]

I only posted it because what if global warming turns out to be fact? People are going to want to attempt to do something about it.

Now I look back on it does seem like a stupid idea.

[Pennywise]

[quote=""rct3wild""]I only posted it because what if global warming turns out to be fact? People are going to want to attempt to do something about it.
[/quote]

I agree that doing something to help to the environment would be a good thing, but the Monorail would be using a similar amount of electricity whether they were charging for it or not, so there wouldn't really be a point to it.

There are probably other ways that Alton Towers could help the environment in, and it would probably give them some good publicity. Perhaps only opening the smaller attractions between 12pm and 4pm for example? (I'm not saying that's a good idea, just a better one).

However, saying 'screw the environment' like El Patricko is is completely ignorant... just saying...

[Blaze]

I'm pretty sure a monorail as no impact what so ever on the environment. Even if man-made global warming/climate change/whatever they call it this week to fit with the conditions was real, which it isn't, a monorail really would make no difference. The whole of the UK contributes 6% of the worlds CO2, which isn't even that bad a greenhouse gas. The cows of New Zealand pollute more.

And I would use it more just to wind up weird-beard hippy idiots. :P

---- Post Info Added ----

[quote=""rct3wild""]In ten years time I think they will stop charging to park and start charging to use the monorail.[/quote]
Doesn't stopping car parking charges encourage cars? That kind of goes against the environment thing of charging for the monorail, does it not?

[Ritadz]

[quote=""rct3wild""]I only posted it because what if global warming turns out to be fact?.[/quote]

Yeah, and 13 is the ultimate rollercoaster.

If Alton jumped on the tree hugger bandwagon i'd lose all my respect for them.