Attraction Source Forum

Alton Towers Resort have submitted plans for a 74 bedroom, 4 storey extension to the Alton Towers Hotel. If approved, the extension will be located behind the current Spa and will have its own entrance via an 'entrance garden' which will include a theming feature, and a new car park will be created between the Alton Towers Hotel and Enchanted Village. The extension will also include a new restaurant and bar/cafe with entertainment space. Should all go to plan, the new accommodation will open mid-late 2017. Full details of the latest plans can be found on the TowersTimes News page.

Quite excited about this! Just some new rides at the theme park to complement the resort developments and AT are on to a winner in my opinion!

It's quite encouraging to see that the resort are already looking to expand their accommodation further, as it suggests that they see their development in the near-future attracting more and more guests.

Could be an exciting next few years for the resort!

Oooh exciting, Even though I probably won't be able to afford staying there, I'll definitely go for a good look round it!

Very exciting news

It's good to see that the long-awaited extension to the hotel may finally be on the horizon and it just goes to show how serious Alton are about establishing themselves as a fully fledged resort.

Looking forward to see how this develops.

They have actually done something quite clever. Themeing the extension to a secret garden, with it being in between the Enchanted Village and the AT hotel. It will be very interesting to see what they do with themeing this particular area of the hotel. Will it match the AT Hotel or will it match EV or will it be a mash up of both. I guess only time will tell.

Good to see that Towers are still making investments! Looking forward to seeing how this turns out!

Again, I'm sure they want it open for 2017 for SW8. To me this proves SW8 isn't being set back at all, I'm fairly sure it will open at the start of 2017 (or quite possibly in Merlin's magical May ). If this accommodation extension is for guests who want to ride SW8 then we may even see themed rooms in here.

The big problem I have with all this development is the Waterpark. It's not big enough as it is at peak times for the people that want to use it. Adding extra accommodation is only going to make things worse. I have seen no plans submitted to SMDC for waterpark expansion.

Good news, looking forward to seeing how this turns out

If it's a secret garden, perhaps it will almost be a magical paradise garden type thing? Just an idea

I'm also pretty sure I read somewhere that AT were trying to max out their resort accommodation and have something for everyone - a generic hotel(ish), enchanted magical family place, secret garden paradise, waterpark, themed rooms - looks like they're really trying to encourage people to use their hotel.

Sounds good, more accommodation is handy for people like me who live 4+ hours away.

Shame I'm a cheapskate though so I only stay at splash landings!

this is great news and sounds excellent, it sounds very nice and I like the idea of adding more restaurants especially a buffet one
it is a good idea for helping extend the stays but I think they should try to extend the water park more, im not if this is possible though

I'm sure a few years ago they added more to the outdoor waterpark (might be wrong though ), but an extension to the indoor waterpark would result in a fair amount of downtime for a lot of the waterpark, if not all of it.
Back on topic, how much would it cost in comparison to the other hotels/lodges? Presumably a similar cost to the hotel, if not a tad more?

Staffordshire County Council have published their comments on the impact the development will have on traffic levels both during construction and once it has opened. It's recognised that there will be relatively low increase in traffic compared to other types of investment, and so have no objections to the proposal provided a few understandable conditions are met.

That's good news. How long do applications usually take to be approved?

This application was considered at last night's Alton Parish Council meeting, and it is stated that they have 'no objections' to it. This doesn't necessarily mean that it will be approved by Staffordshire Moorlands District Council, but it is a positive step for the resort.

Since the revised plans were submitted a couple of weeks back, Farley Parish Council has now commented on the application with the following:

Farley Parish Council wrote:No objections — the Council would however like to request that due regard be given to the increased impacts of noise and road traffic as well as provision being made to ensure that external lighting be downward angled where possible and switched off over night to reduce the impact on the rural night sky. The development should as much as possible take into account the neighbouring residents and properties if at all possible.
The Council would be grateful for any consideration that can be given to these views.

Any news on the progress of this application?

At the moment the application is still under consideration by the Staffordshire Moorlands District Council. There isn't currently a time frame for a decision to be made on this, although it does seem to be taking longer than usual. All we can do is keep an eye on things and wait and see

The application has now been granted planning permission, subject to a range of conditions outlined in the decision notice.