Chessington World of Adventures Resort have begun a two week public consultation on current and new emerging projects, including two new areas featuring attractions such as a major rollercoaster.
The headline new development is referred to as Project Refresh & Renew, which is planned for the combined area of Wild Asia and Explorer Glamping. Having opened in 2010 following the retheme of Beanoland, the Resort note that Wild Asia has some of the oldest rides and buildings across the Resort which are therefore in need of upgrading. Additionally, Explorer Glamping is noted to have temporary planning permission up to September 2025. It is stated that investment into the area is important in order to enhance the guests arrival experience, given its proximity to the main theme park entrance.
The proposal is for a new themed land featuring unique immersive experiences, play areas and sensory environments for the whole family to enjoy. The centre-piece will be a new rollercoaster with indoor and outdoor elements. Other attractions will include a re-themed and re-positioned Kobra (a Zamperla Disk’O Coaster), new indoor ride and new outdoor themed play area. The land will also incorporate interactive retail and food & beverage offerings. The plans show the main area entrance portal being located in broadly the same location as Wild Asia’s, with the secondary portal between the area and Land of the Tiger also due to be retained – Kobra is proposed to be repositioned such that its hill will be above the area’s secondary entrance/exit.
The revitalised area looks to be dominated by what will be a large new building which will combine a show-building for the new rollercoaster, retail outlets and food & beverage facilities. The majority of the area of building denoted as being utilised by the rollercoaster is just under 16m tall, although there is a square area at the back of the building that is just under 18m tall and a rectangular area towards the front-left that is a little below 20m tall, representing the tallest point in the land. The building and area has been designed so that it remains enclosed by a belt of woodland that screens views of the development from beyond the Resort. This will mean that the proposal would be fully screened by tree coverage in summer, with only very limited glimpses of part of the top of the development through trees in winter – where visible, it is said that non-reflective materials in a suitable colour will be used to reduce visibility further.
While no details are given about the experience that the rollercoaster will offer, the plans suggest that it may feature a launch into an outdoor airtime hill leading into a sweeping left turn before travelling over another hill on its return into the building. The interior layout of course remains a mystery, although the design of the building could be to facilitate elements such as a spike. The indoor space would also presumably allow for a ‘dark ride’ portion of the experience. This could therefore suggest something similar to Uncharted: The Enigma of Penitence at PortAventura World, an Intamin Multi Dimension Coaster that opened in 2023. The outdoor portion of the ride that is shown in the plans is also reminiscent of Movie Park Studio Tour at Movie Park Germany, another variant of the same rollercoaster model.
The area’s new indoor ride and outdoor playscape will be located in the area currently occupied by Explorer Glamping. No indications about the nature of the indoor ride are given – representatives at the public exhibition suggested that a decision was still yet to be made, with the potential that it could be replaced by an outdoor flat ride or other attraction prior to the planning application’s submission. With these attractions completing the area’s line-up, this means that (aside from Kobra) all existing attractions will be removed – these being: Monkey Swinger, Tuk Tuk Turmoil, Temple of Mayhem and Jungle Bus.
The second notable new development is Project Play, which will see part of Mexicana and the Children’s Zoo transformed into a new themed land. Specifically, the potential redevelopment area includes Scorpion Express (which has remained SBNO for the last few seasons) and Mexicana’s food & beverage outlet, alongside the entire Children’s Zoo. Rattlesnake is outside of the development area and therefore expected to remain unaffected. It is said that this new area will be targeted at younger guests, similar to CBeebies Land at Alton Towers Resort although adopting a different theme. With this project at an earlier stage in development compared to Project Refresh & Renew, decisions about exactly what the land will feature are still yet to be made. However, it is noted that it could include a ‘my first’ rollercoaster experience (like Octonauts Rollercoaster Adventure at Alton Towers), children’s flat rides, themed playscape, meet and greet area, food & beverage, and a themed retail outlet. Given that Jungle Bus received an entirely new ride system only last season, it seems plausible that the attraction could be moved into this new area from Wild Asia.
These two projects will give rise to the need to relocate some of the Resort’s animal residents, most notably the Lorikeets from Wild Asia. While details are still being developed, it is expected that new upgraded enclosures at the Wanyama Village & Reserve will provide a suitable new home. No reference is made to whether this will have implications for ZUFARI, with the attraction having recently been confirmed to have closed for the remainder of the 2024 season.
The Resort have also utilised the consultation as an opportunity to provide an update on current projects. First is the lodge accommodation planned for the north-west of the existing hotels that was granted planning permission in 2018, with it stated that a 2027 opening is now being targeted for this. Second is the ‘waterpark adventure’ for which the Resort held a consultation in late 2022 and submitted a planning application for last summer. This continues to be discussed with statutory consultees, the Council and Greater London Authority, with the engagement reported as being generally positive as the Resort continue to work towards achieving planning permission at the earliest opportunity. Finally is the resurfacing of the Macaw Car Park and associated drainage and landscaping works which are due to be completed this year. Following this, it is hoped that similar improvements can be made to the other southern car park fields, although timescales are to be confirmed.
All of these developments are said to reflect the vision of continued investment into Chessington, to ensure it remains the destination of choice for day visitors and visitors wanting a short break by delivering new attractions and accommodation. On-site accommodation and creating year-round facilities is noted to be particularly key to the future of the Resort and its response to competition in the leisure market.
A full summary of the plans is available online, with it possible to submit comments up to Thursday 3rd October either by online survey or by emailing [email protected]. The planning application for Project Refresh & Renew is anticipated to then be submitted shortly thereafter in October 2024. Submission of an application for Project Play at the end of 2024 is also being targeted. Despite being at an earlier stage of development, at the exhibition held at the Resort on Thursday 19th September, representatives for the Resort referred to Project Play as being a priority, with a 2026 opening being targeted in order to compensate for the loss of capacity arising from Wild Asia’s closure for its own redevelopment. This could therefore suggest a 2027 opening for Project Refresh & Renew, with the area closing at the end of 2025 season (coinciding with the end of the temporary planning permission for Explorer Glamping in September 2025).
Are you pleased to see further investment into Chessington? Make sure you share your thoughts via our social media channels.
