Legoland Windsor Resort have today begun consultations for a proposed new extension to the Legoland Hotel, alongside re-visiting the plans for the Haunted House attraction, the original plans for which were refused permission in 2014.
Currently proposed to be built on the site of the Dino Safari ride, the hotel extension will be constructed adjacent to the existing hotel and will see the addition of “61 premium family bedrooms” on three storeys. Themed to a medieval castle, the development, currently known as the ‘Castle Hotel’, would also comprise of a decked seating and play area. A separate planning application will also be submitted to make changes to the existing DUPLO Family Restaurant. By creating additional accommodation onsite, the resort aims to meet both the increasing demand for accommodation in the area, and meet the local Council’s aspirations to increase overnight stays in the Windsor. The resort also state that the extension will help ease and manage traffic surrounding the resort due to the fact that more people being able to stay on site will result in fewer car journeys to and from the resort.
Plans are also being re-submitted for ‘The Haunted House’ attraction. Previous plans submitted described the attraction as being situated in the northern area of the site and to the south east of Driving School and Boating School, the new attraction would feature a 10m drop tower, similar to the ride mechanism found in Nemesis: Sub Terra at Alton Towers Resort. Visitors would enter the new attraction through a themed queue line featuring a graveyard and spider’s web, before entering from the front entrance which will replicate a traditional haunted house and be based on the current Lego ‘Monster Fighters’ brand. As part of the new application the resort aims to provide new information in order to address the concerns raising regarding the generation of traffic to and from the resort, as well as other minor amendments including reducing the height of the Haunted House Façade by 1 metre.
It has also emerged that the Resort has recently acquired part of St Leonard’s Farm which gives the Resort additional land adjoining the overflow car parks. Detailed information regarding the long term plans for this land is not yet available, however the Resort have stated that the purchase will form part of their long term short breaks accommodation strategy, suggesting that the Resort could be looking to construct additional accommodation as part of their aim to help reduce daily trips to and from the resort.
Detailed plans for both the new hotel extension and the Haunted House are due to be submitted later this month (June), with a decision for the Haunted House expected in August, and for the hotel extension on September. If granted, construction of the hotel extension will commence in early 2016, with the extension opening to guests in early 2017. There is not currently a time frame for the construction and opening of the Haunted House attraction.
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