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Park News - (1/18/12) ThemeParkTourist reports that Alton Towers will close Enterprise and Submission for the 2012 season, to allow for work to progress on SW7. Only Oblivion will operate in the X-Sector this season.
    (11/18/11) UK Park News reports that “The Ropers”, the long time ‘nemesis’ of fun, joy, happy noises and Alton Towers in general, have appealed to a new judge to revive their legal battle against the park once again. Back in January 2011, the last judge threw it out of court once and for all… or so everyone thought… but like any true villain, they have a way of rising from the dead.
    On top of seeking financial compensation from the park from 1998 to present, if the case rules in their favor, Alton Towers could be forced to move or even close down several rides and attractions.
    (10/3/11) A couple of new attractions for Scarefest have been revealed over at Theme Park Tourist this week.
    (9/22/11) ThemeParkTourist has reported that Alton Towers will move two of last year’s haunts (Boiler Room and Carnival of Screams) from the ground of the Alton Towers hotel to a new site in the X-Sector, to be housed inside the old Black Hole coaster structure.
    (9/13/11) While I had figures this was simply another non-sense faux story event from Alton Towers, it turns out they really went through with their Coaster Cuties 2012 calendar concept. You see the details and download it here.
    (8/16/11) Details about this year’s Scarefest at Alton Towers have been released, but as Theme Park Tourist reports, the event seems to be a bit of a let down this year as all three of the haunt mazes were also used last year: Terror of the Towers, The Boiler House and Carnival of Screams.

2012 - Nemesis: Sub-Terra - (1/25/12) New pictures showing off the ride hardware and inside of Nemesis: Sub-Terra has been posted to UK Park News after spotting a new dedicated Twitter page offering up storyline hints for the ride called Phalanx Control. From the Tweets issued so far, the more followers Phalanx Control getting, the more quickly it will release information about the ride storyline, so follow them.
    (1/16/12) A new piece of concept artwork for Nemesis: Sub-Terra has been posted to the Tower Times Facebook page.
    (1/2/12) Alton Towers has released the final name for their new attraction: NEMESIS: Sub-Terra, along with a new video (comic-book style) added to the teaser site to add to the story.
    (12/22/11) The teaser site for What Lies Beneath has been slightly updated, now with a date posted, claiming that the big reveal will take place on New Years Eve at 18:18 local time. Stay tuned!
    (12/16/11) While we still don’t have a clear view about just what really does “lie beneath”, UKParkNews has posted some new artwork showing off a bit about just what the attraction building itself may look like inside and out.
    (10/21/11) Alton Towers has set up flashing lights and radiation warnings all along the Nemesis – What Lies Benehath construction barrier, as seen in the video clip below from our friends at AirgatesUK. They also report that the park has people walking the immediate area in radiation suits as they build up the story behind the new 2012 attraction.

    (10/12/11) Screamscape sources tell me that the ride system to be used for the new 2012 Nemesis dark ride will be from ABC Rides. As you can see on their dark ride page, ABC Rides produced the “Tower Dark Ride” for Merlin’s Dungeon attraction, so we can expect to see something similar put to use here. However, what has caught my eye is the Vertical Dark Ride concpt… allowing for several benches to rotate around a central tower, rise and fall to different levels and scenes along the way on the different walls. This could be an interesting thing to use at Alton Towers as well… so stay tuned.
    (10/7/11) Alton Towers has revealed a little more about the 2012 attraction, with a new website called Nemesis: What Lies Beneath. Based on the teaser video alone, it sounds like the rumored storyline we posted is pretty darn close as it sounds like you will ventue below the ground to have an encounter in the lair of Nemesis.
    (10/3/11) TowerTimes has posted some new construction pictures showing off the work starting for the park’s new 2012 attraction.
    (9/28/11) More rumors regarding that mini drop tower ride concept have come through. From the sound of things, the ride may feature a storyline based on the Nemesis storyline, where riders will drop down through the floor, possibly down into the underground lair of Nemesis… or it’s hungry offspring.
    (9/7/11) Lots of rumors are swirling about the plans submitted for Alton Tower’s 2012 attraction, which locate it now in the Forbidden Valley area near Nemesis. Two existing attractions (Lava Lump and Body Zorbing) will be removed to make room for what has been described as an indoor attraction. According to ThemeParkTourist, the ride building will only be 5 meters tall, but will also go underground 6 meters down. This has led more than a few people to suspect that some kind of mini enclosed drop-tower attraction could be installed, similar in concept to the Extremis drop rides installed at some of Merlin’s Dungeon attractions.
    (8/27/11) I’ve been informed that Alton Towers has submitted a planning application for a new indoor attraction for 2012. After they were forced to back out of the 4D Theater attraction they had in the works for 2011, perhaps they may be trying again for 2012.
    (8/25/11) According to UKParkNews, the first hint about what may be on the way to the park for 2012 has gone up near Mutiny Bay, which seems to indicate that the flume ride could be removed in the near future. Last year the park was also rumored to be making plans to replace or upgrade the attraction as well.
    (12/21/10) Local sources tell us that Alton Towers have dropped all plans for a 4D Theater for 2011 and are instead looking to revamp and reopen the former Nickelodeon Outta Control attraction that used to be in Cred Street (now Cloud Cuckoo Land). The old attraction was said to be a fun house style attraction, so I’m not sure if the new version will try to continue that or be transformed into something else entirely. Anyone else know more?
    (12/2/10) The latest whisper from our UK Spies claims that the plans for Shrek 4D to come to Alton Towers may have been scrapped. If the entire rumor is to be believed, the park was simply planning to throw together a “cheap” 4D theater under a circus tent which caused some problems between them and Dreamworks that may have debunked the deal.
    If true, the park is likely still planning on building their 4D Theater, but will pick up some other film instead. More when we find out.
    (10/22/10) I’m told that some Shrek themeing has been spotted at Alton Towers that could indicate that Shrek 4D may be coming to the park into a new 4D Theater setup.
    (9/23/10) A local area reader tells us that when visiting Alton the other day they discovered survey workers taking measurements just outside and around the pathway and wooden area for the haunted house, behind the back of the Log Flume / Runaway Train area. Sounds like something new may be planned for this area in the future.
    (9/16/10) Height check balloons were spotted at Alton Towers this week near the Log Flume, which looks like it could possibly be the location of the park’s next attraction. More when we find out.

2012 - Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs - The 4-D Experience - (11/7/11) UK Park News reports tat Alton Towers will add a second new attraction to the park for the 2012 season, Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs – The 4-D Experience. In addition to the 4D Theater, the attraction will feature Ice Age themed play areas and allow for the addition of Ice Age themed rooms at the Splash Landings Hotel.

2013 - SW7 - In Development - (2/13/12) Ride-Guide.co.uk has posted some new plans showing off some of the proposed themeing for SW7, which includes an odd looking giant insect like structure (only 6 legs) that the coaster will pass through several times, with a central column topped off with a sphere like shape that is marked as being covered by a series of LED monitors.
    (1/16/12) A great fan-made video showing off just what SW7 could look like has been posted on YouTube and I’ve got to admit, that it does look like a fantastic ride layout.

    (1/10/12) ParkThoughts has written an interesting piece, suggesting just why SW7 may not be a Gerstlauer EuroFighter coaster, and may instead be something a little different. Some of their line of thought matches up with my initial thoughts upon seeing the design as well, which caused me to not believe it was a Gerstlauer ride at first either, and despite the noise comparison in the planning application, I’m still not entirely convinced either.
    (1/9/12) Some very interesting images showing off a fan made recreation of what SW7 could look like, based on those plans found last week, have been posted to UKParkNews. In other news, I’ve heard from several people that the noise assessment part of the application for the ride mentions that the new proposed ride system will be from ‘the same manufacturer and type” of ride as Saw: The Ride, so it seems fairly certain that they are planning on adding a Gerstlauer EuroFighter style coaster.
    (1/6/12) UKParkNews has files some layout images of the proposed SW7 coaster which will stand 22 meters tall and feature a number of inversions. They believe it could be a new Gerstlauer EuroFighter style ride, though I’m not entirely certain of that. However, giving the layout a quick look over, I believe we could be seeing a ride with 11 inversions. It also appears to have a traditional lift hill looking structure as well as a vertical tower, though given the layout, it looks like the vertical portion will be taken going up and not down. There is also a substantial straight section of track just before the incline up the tower, which leads me to wonder if this may end up being a launch straight up to the top of the tower to begin the second half of the ride.
    All just idle speculation at this point… based on my first impression of the plans only. More as we find out.
    (12/27/11) AirGates has posted their own update and take on the permits submitted to demolish the former Black Hole structure to make way for a new roller coaster attraction in the X-Sector.
    (12/21/11) The latest report from Tower Times claims that two new planning applications from Alton Towers dealing with the site of the former enclosed Blackhole coaster have been submitted. The rumor mill for ideas for an “SW7” project in connection to this has already started swirling, though at this point it’s a bit too early to tell what is being proposed. Stay tuned.
    (10/5/11) Given that B&M is said to be in line for Alton’s SW7 coaster, which is also supposed to be a new “World’s First”, it stands to reason that SW7 may very well be the first coaster to feature B&M’s new launch system that they’ve been working on. While it may seem a little odd to put another launched coaster in Alton, since they already have Rita, keep in mind that this will allow the ride to have speed without the need of a lift hill… and all those height limitations Alton Tower’s has to deal with. Unlike Rita, I’d expect to see something with a good number of inversions as well.
    (9/28/11) Sources tell me that Alton Towers has signed a deal to bring a new B&M coaster to the park in the near future, which I can only assume will be the previously rumored SW7 project.
    (7/15/11) UKParkNews reports that Alton Towers has started a new contest of a lifetime, as the winner will get a place on the design panel for the parks new SW7 ride, set to open in 2013.
    (3/29/11) According to Alton Towers Almanac the park’s GM confirmed to the local media that another world’s first coaster is in the works for the park to open in two years for the 2013 season. They are hoping that it will be the “only one of its kind in the world” when it opens.
    (7/19/10) I’m told that planning for the SW7 project is set to begin by the end of the month, with the goal of opening the new thrill coaster by 2013/2014. Depending on how things go and what happens between then and now, it is most likely going to be 2014. No word yet on just what this new ride may be.

Future Plans - (7/15/09) I’ve been told that Merlin has drawn up a long term master plan for Alton Towers to show off to the local residents how they would like to develop the park over the next 10 years. Along the way they would like to see the park’s attendance which had peeked out around 2.5 million last year move up to the 2.9 – 3.0 million guest range on a regular basis.
    The best way to do that is though new capital projects, with the general idea being to build 10 new medium to large sized attraction (or replacement attractions) over the next decade, starting with the new coaster opening in 2010. Another hotel is also being considered along with the idea of turning the “southern” car park into a kind of Citywalk style entertainment / retail zone that would link the park up with the hotels. The current overflow lot would then be transformed into a new permanent facility. 
    A map has also been seen that had some areas of the park highlighted as possible locations for future roller coasters. In addition to the current SW6 / 2010 site, it also listed a site in the back where the old Beast and Mouse were in the late 80s as well a a site using some of the current southern carpark. The map also listed Spinball Wizzer as an attraction could be moved or sold to another park in the future. You can read more about this over at Alton Towers Almanac.