Towers takes an aquarium plunge

ALTON Towers has revealed plans to open an aquarium next year.

Bosses at the theme park want to install a Sea Life centre at the attraction for when the new season begins in March.

A spokesman confirmed that a planning application has been submitted to Staffordshire Moorlands District Council.

If the plans are approved, the aquarium will be installed at the theme park's pirate-themed Mutiny Bay area, which was launched in March.

It is thought it will replace a 3D cinema which has not operated since 2004 and has since been used as a shop.

The Alton Towers Almanac, an unofficial website devoted to the park, speculates that the new attraction will cost around £1.8 million to install.

Bosses say the aquarium will be the 30th Sea Life centre to open around the world.

Alton Towers's owner Merlin Entertainments Group runs centres throughout the UK and across Europe in countries including Spain, Germany, Finland and Poland.

A spokesman said: "The Alton Towers Sea Life will provide the familiar friendly and authoritative guide to the last great frontier – the seas and oceans of the world, and their myriad mysterious and amazing inhabitants."

The resort's divisional director Russell Barnes added: "The addition of a Sea Life aquarium will perfectly complement the fantastic range of family attractions we have here at the resort.

"The plans promise an attraction that will be a very special experience that all the family can enjoy together. We'll be adding our own unique Alton Towers touch to Sea Life's excellent reputation and expertise in marine conservation, education and awareness."

The Sea Life centres across the UK feature freshwater and tropical fish, seahorses, sharks and turtles.

The firm's flagship centre in Birmingham includes a one million-litre ocean tank complete with the world's first 360 degree transparent, tubular underwater walk-through tunnel.

Proposals for the aquarium come weeks after Alton Towers announced plans to tear down its famous Corkscrew ride when its season ends on November 9. The ride was Europe's first double-loop roller-coaster when it opened in April 1980.

Paul Williams, principal lecturer in marketing and tourism at Staffordshire University, said: "In an aggressively competitive visitor attraction marketplace it is crucial for Alton Towers to refresh and augment its tourism product.

"A new Sea Life centre will certainly complement the existing portfolio of attractions available to its target markets. This type of development will undoubtedly attract media attention, enhance Alton Towers's unique image and reputation, and is also likely to result in a boost to visit numbers.

"Moreover, this will also firmly cement North Staffordshire's place on the national tourism map."

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