Alton Towers is continuing to move towards construction of the much-delayed Project Horizon rollercoaster.
Planning documents filed with Staffordshire Moorlands District Council last week allow groundworks to proceed.
Further assurance is still needed for the site, located in the former ‘Coaster Corner’ area of Alton Towers, to be deemed fit for occupation by the indoor ride.
The latest developments saw Environment Agency determine that risk of water contamination associated with the side was “low”.
Plans for the rollercoaster were approved in February 2023, but the ride’s construction has been delayed as operator Merlin Entertainments has faced cash-flow problems.
Merlin suffered credit rating downgrades last year, as its capital expenditure was seen as unsustainable by loan markets.
Indoor building
Alton Towers’ new rollercoaster will be housed within a building 71 metres (233 feet) long by 46 metres (151 feet) wide, with a smaller entrance room attached to the front.
The floorspace is similar to that of the main façade-fronted section of Blackpool Pleasure Beach’s Valhalla dark ride.
Occupying land next to the former Alton Towers Dungeon, the fully-enclosed ride building will be 19-metres (64 feet) tall.
Significant excavation below ground level has been ruled out, meaning the maximum feasible height of any track drop would be little more than 50 feet.
Planners estimate that construction on the £12.5 million project will take 12 to 18 months to complete once underway.
Alton Towers has not installed a major new rollercoaster since the Wicker Man ride in 2018, although the Nemesis rollercoaster was rebuilt and re-launched as Nemesis Reborn in 2024.