It is important to note though (before any of you run off making youtube videos!!!) that we’re not saying Thorpe have no height limit, or a height limit of 500ft!!!
We’re saying that there is no default legal height limit because of their proximity to Heathrow, other than 150m!!! There COULD well be other things limiting their maximum construction height, such as local planning limitations, that we’re not aware of!!!
So don’t assume that because their proximity to Heathrow allows up to 150m, they’re allowed to build up to 150m… There could be other limiting factors!
I'm going to chip in and add that this seems to suggest that the park are effectively under the same limitations they were under when building Stealth.
The only kind of details I'm aware of that are online related to heights and the park come from the park's MTDP, and the old Stealth mini-site. The MTDP is outdated now really. The
Stealth mini-site said that as long as their structures are less than 500ft in height, they don't need to install aviation lights (though given that was 16 years ago, laws may well have changed).
In short: I don't know of anything like that. But Thorpe could probably still build that high if they really wanted and were able to keep the locals sweet.
(Side note: How nice was that Stealth mini site <3)
In terms of local planning limitations, I'll add some fuel to the flames and say I don't think there's any written limitation that says the park (or anywhere within Runnymede)
can't build something that high. But at the same, I don't think anyone would be happy with a 457ft plonked at Thorpe. I also imagine that the location of being on an island and Thorpe's (over?)-care when running in wind and other adverse weather means that they'd never realistically consider something that high.
However, it certainly does mean that something that hits the 200ft+ mark is plausible.
Sorry for derailing the topic a bit, but can I just pull you up on this little snippet from the previous page, Matt, regarding the Chessington project.
Where is the "official confirmation" that it will be a B&M? Have I missed something?
Someone's clearly hanging on for hope that Chessington's thing is an S&S Axis so they can get that drink...
Ah right; thanks for the clarification
@JoshC.! I never knew that Project Zer0 ever actually amounted to anything… I definitely learnt something new today!
I wonder why it was ever linked to Thorpe, then?
Sorry to divert away from Thorpe coaster talk again, but just to clarify.
Project Zer0 hype started around 2017, when people saw a "0?" painted on a scrap piece of wood by a Fright Nights maze (I think Big Top). People over-analysed it and expected it to relate to a new coaster at Thorpe. When the aforementioned escape rooms were being built, the team behind it (who used to work at Thorpe Park, and knew it was not related to a new coaster) used this interest to their advantage, and built a teaser campaign around 'Project 0?'. Very clever really.
Things then got complicated when some posts on Thorpe's social media posts started using numbers to replace letters (0 to replace o, 1 to replace i, etc) in 2018, around the same time earlier teasers for the escape rooms started. As far as I know, there was nothing behind it except having some fun with fans. But then it meant you had this very real 'Project Zer0' happening, and this joke 'numbers replacing letters' thing, which were completely separate.
Thorpe eventually stopped with the jovial teasers of the numbers replacing letters, and Project Zer0 was announced as the escape rooms (a bit earlier than planned I think, as people thought it was just a hoax by some Thorpe geeks). Ultimately led to some people thinking Project Zer0 was something that fizzled to nothing, some thinking it was all a hoax and some realising it for what it was meant to be.