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YAY Merlin!

davidm said:
and after a quick search...

Hardly surprising Merlin are saying "bad idea" - I mean come on!
Darker purple area is where the planning application is for!
View attachment 4546
Link to plan - RU.18/0703
(lot of documents on that planning site related to this - can read all the objections from Thorpe's lawyers and stuff, seems this has been going on for quite some time, crickey!)
Click to expand...

OK if anyone is following this...

There is a summary report loaded today up on the planning site ( direct link ) - 55 pages of waffle, but it looks like the officer's recommendation (so not the final decision I assume) is to grant the planning permission, but with a whole bunch of noise-caveats (see page 41 item 3 "To ensure no unreasonable interference with the future operation of Thorpe Park"). There is also ongoing stuff between the two sides (a "S106 Agreement" which is mentioned a few times) concerning noise issues - basically the OAP-residents will be sealed into their units (no opening windows) with high-tech ventilation systems to mitigate the sealed windows - obviously Merlin are still fundamentally objecting though.

(If you want to find the coaster info, in that report, search for "Island A" - refers to agreed permission for a 50m ride on island A or E subject to noise - the original case for this was RU.10/0579 but there isn't much online for that apart from the summary and we "knew" all that detail anyway)
 
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Went glamping at Chessington this week, it's really lovely. The site is small but there's bits of theming dotted around and the lighting at night is very pretty. You get some Wild Asia ERT after the park closes (one hour of Kobra followed by an hour of Dodgems) and the bar/restaurant for the glamping is in Wild Asia too. At 9PM they set up a projector and inflatable screen in the middle of the campsite and played Greatest Showman. We set our camp chairs up to watch but bailed after ten minutes when it started raining, it would have been lovely on a warmer night sat there in my pyjamas watching a film though. Inside the tents there's a double bed, they feel much bigger inside than they look from the outside. Here's some general pics and one of myself chilling outside the tent enjoying life.
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Matt N said:
Looks lovely! My only reservation is; wouldn't the tent be a bit cold on a cold night?
Click to expand...
Yeah, it was a bit chilly in the morning but I believe the tents are only available during the warmer months and not the whole season.

I enjoyed my day on park as it was nice and quiet but the park is starting to lose its magic for me. I visited a lot as a kid in the glory days of the late 90s/early 00s and so much of what made the park entertaining and immersive has been stripped away. The attractions line up has been slaughtered too. Since opening Fury the park has lost Safari Skyway, Peeking Heights, Black Buccaneer, Creepy Caves and Rameses Revenge (which isn't permanently closed but it's not open for majority of the season) and in that time only gained a Disk-O and the poorly received Zufari. As an adult I can add Hocus Pocus Hall to the list too as it's replacement is no longer suitable for my age group. In that time the theming and effects on the dark rides and things like Vampire has also deteriorated. I can still cling onto my nostalgia and enjoy the park but it used to be so much more.

Tiger Rock is brilliant though, lots of cool effects and the ride area is nicely landscaped and very green. One of my favourite log flumes.
 
Matt N said:
Looks lovely! My only reservation is; wouldn't the tent be a bit cold on a cold night?
Click to expand...
That's mostly a matter of using a good sleeping bag. I've slept in a tent in -17 C once, it's fine if you wear a cap.
 
davidm said:
OK if anyone is following this...

There is a summary report loaded today up on the planning site ( direct link ) - 55 pages of waffle, but it looks like the officer's recommendation (so not the final decision I assume) is to grant the planning permission, but with a whole bunch of noise-caveats (see page 41 item 3 "To ensure no unreasonable interference with the future operation of Thorpe Park"). There is also ongoing stuff between the two sides (a "S106 Agreement" which is mentioned a few times) concerning noise issues - basically the OAP-residents will be sealed into their units (no opening windows) with high-tech ventilation systems to mitigate the sealed windows - obviously Merlin are still fundamentally objecting though.

(If you want to find the coaster info, in that report, search for "Island A" - refers to agreed permission for a 50m ride on island A or E subject to noise - the original case for this was RU.10/0579 but there isn't much online for that apart from the summary and we "knew" all that detail anyway)
Click to expand...

So this has moved on a little bit now; there are some more recent documents on the planning site ( HERE )

Best I can make out after a few minutes skimming is that the developers have produced their legal "we promise not to complain in future" document (that s106 thing) - there is a copy of it HERE - Merlin have not at all signed up to that document though and are pointing out problems with it still, notably on the basis of the default noise levels and whether future noise-nuisance complaints can even be mitigated by such a document.

There is a "officer's overview' document ( HERE ) that goes into a lot of the "stuff that has happened since April 2019"

So still rumbling on it seems, keeping a bunch of lawyers and planners gainfully employed at any rate!

But I think it looks like the recommendation is still to grant the permission though (with all that s106 caveat about not being able to complain in future).
 
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davidm said:
So this has moved on a little bit now; there are some more recent documents on the planning site ( HERE )

Best I can make out after a few minutes skimming is that the developers have produced their legal "we promise not to complain in future" document (that s106 thing) - there is a copy of it HERE - Merlin have not at all signed up to that document though and are pointing out problems with it still, notably on the basis of the default noise levels and whether future noise-nuisance complaints can even be mitigated by such a document.

There is a "officer's overview' document ( HERE ) that goes into a lot of the "stuff that has happened since April 2019"

So still rumbling on it seems, keeping a bunch of lawyers and planners gainfully employed at any rate!

But I think it looks like the recommendation is still to grant the permission though (with all that s106 caveat about not being able to complain in future).
Click to expand...

OK, so that stupid planning request was GRANTED* - link here

* - subject to lots of conditions, like all that noise stuff they have been arguing over for months/years.

Does not seem like good news then - the Deed of Easement (the legal document with all those conditions in) is here for more legal detail.

:(
 
^
I'm... guessing you're being sarcastic ;)

Put this way, the only place I struggled to keep two metres was the very narrow pathway near the pagoda fountain as that's what everyone wanted to see. I was strongly reminded of Wickerman not-opening weekend!

Can't really judge how many people are actually being let in from this weekend though, given how miserable the weather's been.
 
Watching John Bishop’s Great Whale Rescue... And just wanted to say ‘Yay Merlin!’

The expense they went to in order to release those beluga’s into their purpose built reserve. ???
 
Had what was, to be frank, the best trip I have ever had to towers over the last 2 days. There were a collection of reasons as to why the trip was already set up to be good (my first trip to a park in over a year, last days before local lockdown for me, first time I've seen a couple good friends in months and managed to do it on a ridiculously miniscule budget) but the park and rides were being ran the best I have ever seen.

Over a 10-9 & 11-7 day, we managed 29 rides. Galactica & Wickerman were both being dispatched so quickly they were stacking on the lifthill every other time. The vast majority of guests were very obedient to the chevron rules. Whilst the horror mazes weren't particularly scary, they were very pretty. I very rarely comment on my park trips anymore (may be because I very rarely do them) but I have never had such a great time at a merlin park. I saw 2 breakdowns the whole time, the smiler was 'duelling' pretty much the entire time, the park looked great, and I'm really struggling to find a complaint. Ironically the operations were noticeably slower on the saturday compared to the slightly quieter friday, but still they were throwing trains out. Hopefully a good sign for how they will deal with half term crowds.

OH and PS: The smiler & wickerman (and even rita) were running pretty smoothly. Maybe I have built up a tolerance thanks to a lack of park visits for a while but no rough complaints from me.
 
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