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Plans for new fairground rides near resort's pier

Shelagh Parkinson
Local Democracy Reporting Service
LDRS People can be seen swinging around the Starflyer ride, which consists of a ring of seats which encircle a very high tower. The ride appears next to Blackpool Tower on a beautiful sunny day with cloudless blue skies.LDRS
Plans have been submitted for a 253ft (77m) Starflyer ride near South Pier, similar to the one used at the resort's annual Christmas by the Sea event

Plans have been revealed for two new fairground rides on Blackpool Promenade.

The Blackpool Pier Company is seeking planning permission to set up a log flume and a 253ft (77m) high Starflyer ride alongside the South Pier between 1 April and 31 October each year.

The firm said both rides would financially help to support all three of the resort's Victorian-era piers.

A statement from Chris Weetman Planning added: "All three piers need ongoing maintenance work, as you would expect from structures constructed in the 19th Century."

Geograph/Carroll Pierce Aerial view of South Pier jutting out on to the blue Irish Sea next to the Big One rollercoaster. The sandy beach lines the rest of the coast with the town on the left on a sunny day.Geograph/Carroll Pierce
The rides are planned to be in operation during the summer season on the south pier

It said storm damage also meant "more and more replacement works to the decking and the steel structure are required on an annual basis".

The statement added that the Grade II listed North Pier, which was built in 1863 and is the oldest of the Lancashire resort's three piers, "takes up more resources and time to maintain, due to the tides there, than the other two piers, yet itself creates less revenue from the piers' attractions".

There used to be a log flume next to South Pier but Blackpool Council ordered its removal as it did not comply with planning policies that restrict development on the west side of the tram tracks.

The new plans include the Starflyer ride to the south side of the South Pier, which would be similar to the ride used in the annual Christmas by the Sea event on the Tower Festival Headland.

The proposed log flume, which would be on the north side of the pier, has a footprint of 138ft (42m) by 59ft (18m).

It would be 39ft (12m) tall and have a track length of 722ft (220m) within a "mini lake" setting.

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