Alton Towers must pay £100k in road improvements before building new ride
THEME park Alton Towers must shell out £100,000 on measures to ease traffic gridlock – before it can build its latest ride.
The payment is designed to compensate for the thousands of extra vehicles the new ride is expected to generate on the already traffic-choked country lanes.
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It is predicted that traffic through the villages of Alton and Farley could increase by 150,000 vehicles a year – up to 5.5 per cent more at peak periods after the ride is unveiled.
Villagers have welcomed the imposition of the financial contribution on the theme park, which already has to pay £50,000 a year for road improvements.
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But residents say they would still prefer a relief road as a long-term solution.
It has not been revealed what the £100,000 will be spent on.
The new Nemesis Sub-Terra ride will be built on the site of the Black Hole, which was taken out of use in 2005. It is being described as a psychologically and physically thrilling experience which takes place in a 'dark, intense underground setting'.
It is predicted to increase traffic on average by 234 vehicles per day – with 57 more in the morning peak hour and 65 in the departure hour on the busiest days of the season.
Alton Towers owner, Merlin Entertainments, has said it cannot justify spending an estimated £30 million on a relief road which it claims is only needed about six weeks a year.
Alton Parish Council chairman Fred Eyre said: "We need something doing to alleviate the horrendous traffic problems in the village.
"We have been fobbed off for long enough and want plans in the pipeline. We are not trying to put Alton Towers down. We are just fight our corner."
Fellow parish councillor Tony Moult added: "You cannot alter the traffic flow through Alton and Farley, the roads are not suitable. A bypass is needed to resolve the problem."
Villager Judith Brown, who has lived on the High Street for 25 years, has attended many meetings to discuss traffic problems in the village.
She said: "Traffic has increased a lot. They are old roads, and there are more vehicles and bigger buses.
"The coaches are the biggest problem. They used to park at the theme park, but now they come back through the village after dropping their passengers off. I sometimes see the same coach go past my house four times a day."
A decision on the planning application will be made by Staffordshire Moorlands District Council's planning committee on Thursday. Planners have recommended approval of the scheme on the condition that the £100,000 road improvements deal is in place.
The new ride is expected to increase attendance figures from 2.7 million in 2011 to 2.8 million in 2013. That compares with three million when the last new ride was launched in 2010. The theme park has also offered to spend £150,000 over three years on building restoration projects on the mansion ruins and Grade-I listed gardens.
What do you think?
Comments
by riverflower
Friday, April 13 2012, 10:32PM
“Well if this Easter is anything to go by we won't be needing any traffic messures, it was very very quiet, hardly any traffic compared to other Easters when the traffic has been backed up for miles.”
by ObidiahFudge
Monday, March 12 2012, 9:42PM
“Why live next to the countries largest theme park and one of the biggest draws for the area, then moan about it? Some people won't be happy until staffordshire is closed for good”
by stevenweiss
Monday, March 12 2012, 9:13PM
“Traffic through Alton, a once sleepy village, is almost criminal in high season. A small, picturesque village nestling among rolling hills and woods, narrow twisting hairpin bends and small cottages alongside narrow or non-existant pavements. Nose to tail cars and buses queue for miles to get into the towers, making the traffic jams of Stoke look like minor bottlenecks. Bored families, often coming from cities hundreds of miles away, allow the car-incarcerated kids to throw pop cans, sweet wrappers and fast food cartons into the hedges. Welcome to the great british outdoors, people! :-(”
by riverflower
Monday, March 12 2012, 6:02PM
“Trains will cause more gridlock and only save about 200 cars, that is not enough to make any noticeable different. The Towers have 1000s of cars a day all paying £5 or £6 to park.
Its about time we started to say 'NO' to Alton Towers there are other theme parks to build their new in. Leave the Churnet Valley in peace.”
by Exserviceman
Monday, March 12 2012, 4:58PM
“How about the cash that motorists pay being used to provide the roads that they use. This is blackmail by the planning authority. I take it once this precedent is set every business that sets up will be forced to pay for road improvements while income from the motorists id used on non motoring projects.”
by simonp820
Monday, March 12 2012, 4:32PM
“Sounds a fair compromise.”
by boom87
Monday, March 12 2012, 4:25PM
“Secret Weapon 7, planned to open - 23rd March 2013”
by iblamefish
Monday, March 12 2012, 1:41PM
“Nemesis Sub-Terra opens this year in the Forbidden Valley.
The new ride which they need to pay this for is a roller coaster for next year which opens in the Black Hole area next to Oblivion which is currently in the planning permission stage.”
by Knottyguard
Monday, March 12 2012, 11:16AM
“They could always look to spending some money with the Moorland and City Railway and the preservation group Churnet Valley Railway and build a park and ride to bring the paying public in from a park and ride location else where?
But the locals dont want trains doing "70 mph" outside their front doors.
Gridlock, or a train every so often moving people in? the choice is yours.”
by Coasterbuff
Monday, March 12 2012, 9:54AM
“"The new Nemesis Sub-Terra ride will be built on the site of the Black Hole, which was taken out of use in 2005."
That is a slightly incorrect. Sub-Terra opens on March 24th 2012. There is a new coaster going to be installed on the site of the old Black Hole area in X-Sector in 2013.”