Alton Towers Almanac

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Delay for decision on new coaster

The planning application for Secret Weapon 6 has been deferred following yet more protests from locals.

The new coaster is planned to be a replacement ride for the now-dismantled Corkscrew, and is planned to open in little over a year's time.

However, the decision on Alton Towers' application has been put back following a large volume of complaints.

Those complaints, 39 letters in all, have come from the parish councils of both Alton and Farley, as well as local residents. Objectors say they have concerns regarding the new coaster's appearance, the amount of noise it may create, and an increase in traffic.

The latter is a sore point for many local residents, after Alton Towers decided not to go ahead with building a bypass which would have eased congestion on Alton's narrow, winding country roads.

Due to the level of complaints, the application has now been temporarily withdrawn, allowing Staffordshire Moorlands District Council planners more time to investigate the issues raised.

A spokesman for the council said: "The council has deferred the application to the planning committee to enable more detailed consideration of representations received."

A decision is now expected to be made at next month's meeting of the district council's planning applications committee.

Source: The Sentinel