could you dilute the squash please? yeah, let me water down those plans for you

This was approved this week: https://www.thorpeparkmania.co.uk/index.php/2025/05/25/project-pivot-approved/

 

Whether they decide to try and get it ready for Fright Nights or just wait until next year is the big question now

Is the plan still to only do one side of the beach? I feel half doing the area will just leave it feeling a bit out of place (similar to how Galactica feels in FV currently but on a smaller scale of course) and seems like almost a waste of a good idea.

I agree, it's a shame it's only half of the beach.

 

I can't see this being done before Fright Nights now - the plans for that will already be under way, and that would only leave them 4 months to get it finished, which is possible of course but difficult given that it's in the middle of a busy operational theme park.

Has anyone seen any updates in regards to this? Any drone flyovers ect?

On 12/5/2025 at 4:31 PM, MattL28 said:

Has anyone seen any updates in regards to this? Any drone flyovers ect?

not yet, this is literally the only time I’m begging for jack silkstone to give us an update about the project

Does anyone realistically think this project will ever happen now?

I’m starting to think it might be unlikely considering the ongoing issues at Merlin.

I’m also unsure how popular the area would be. Stage shows have never really been all that popular throughout the years at Thorpe. Now that entertainments aren’t a priority for Merlin, perhaps this development has been reconsidered.

Clearly the plan was very much in place for it all. The plans were drawn up in detail and the application went through the council. The park even teased the “last beach party” as being in 2025 on that cryptic poster.

You’d think the development would have started by now wouldn’t you… although I suppose it could still happen during the open season.

I can’t help but think though that the money would be better spent by putting it towards more of a proper “Main Street” sort of setup. A bigger and nicer investment that will stand the test of time. Not specifically a Main Street, but that sort of thing. Rather than this more low budget development.

Looks like it is happening, with this being a project that was tendered over a year ago...

This project has been significantly downsized and now underwhelming compared to the original plan.

It’s a literal flattening of beach and plant a temporary stage on it.

It’s a shame, Merlin clearly don’t want to invest for the long term. Just the short term, this would originally have been must nicer and a longer term solution

A real sign of the times, that - shame.

On 1/15/2026 at 5:40 PM, MattL28 said:

This project has been significantly downsized and now underwhelming compared to the original plan.

It’s a literal flattening of beach and plant a temporary stage on it.

These changes were submitted to the council back in March 2025:

On 3/18/2025 at 6:11 PM, JoshC. said:

Changes to the application, making it smaller and comply with biodiversity stuff

 

https://x.com/ThorpeParkMania/status/1902060291598496045?t=g4E2hlX9nxq7u74Q21fUkQ&s=19

At the very least, part of the reason for the changes was to address biodiversity requirements that were being put on them. It does also seem to have helped with reducing the scale of the project.

Whilst you're right that it will not include the terraced seating from the original 2024, it is not 'just' a flattening of the beach, as it will still include new retail / food units. The terraced seating, as seen from the screenshot of the amended plan, seems to have been done specifically to combat the Environment Agency's concerns.

Whilst the stage they are now implementing is smaller (it does seem to be the same one they've used for Lucifer's Lair?), it is still a permanently set up stage space, which means there is greater scope to introduce permanent AV rigs and makes it easier from a tech standpoint to implement better shows. Whether they chose to is a different matter, but even a 'temporary' stage set up permanently has a huge amount of benefit.