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Chester Zoo could undergo expansion works that would see the site triple in size.

Leisure Concepts, a design and architecture firm, has put forward a concept proposal for the zoo. The designs include increasing the size of the site to 140 hectares and adding a hotel.

The proposal also includes plans for four habitat environments, which would “take visitors on geographic journey”, and a number of water rides that would allow visitors to “explore the animal enclosures in an immersive, up-close themed experience”.

Steve O’Brien, head of estates at Chester Zoo, said: “We are delighted with the proposal by Leisure Concepts. It was create Europe’s finest must-see wildlife attraction and allow Chester Zoo to build on its worldwide conservation mission.”

Leisure Concepts’ managing director, Gerry Rutter, added: “This was a very challenging project, balancing the requirements of Chester Zoo’s diverse and extensive animal population, while creating a spectacular and immersive visitor experience. We’re very proud of the results.”

The zoo is currently in consultations to take the project through to the planning stage.

Roll up, roll up for the battle of the theme parks, with two new rides in Orlando opening this week.

In the Disney corner, Toy Story Mania, after the Pixar movie that launched computer-generated feature films. In the Universal Studios corner the Simpsons’ Krustyland, after what is not simply the most popular cartoon series of all time, but the longest-running sitcom. There’s no love lost between the two companies.

This year Disney celebrates 80 years since Uncle Walt founded it. Did Universal Studios time its Simpsons launch to rain on Toy Story’s parade? Is it pure coincidence that both are themed like old-fashioned Midway carnival attractions? Officially, no comment. But, as Homer might say, does the Pope s*** in the woods? Is a bear Catholic?

Toy Story: You are one of Andy’s toys, shrunk to size in his giant bedroom. The toys stage a fair under his bed, which involves you riding in a spinning car wearing 3-D glasses, and shooting moving fairground targets with a giant pop-gun. Sometimes they hit back with a blast of real air or water - touch being the additional “dimension” that lets Disney call this a 4-D ride.

Simpsons: You enter Krustyland through the head of Krusty the Clown, his tongue laid out in a 35ft-long red carpet. The big ride is a motion simulator in which evil Sideshow Bob attempts to kill you on a giant screen.

FUN FACTOR

Toy Story: There is an atavistic pleasure in pumping away on an old-fashioned pop-gun rather than pressing an electronic button; though some suggestible young women were rendered hysterical on launch day by what this repetitive action suggested, particularly since one of the Midway attractions, a ring-toss game, is called “Buzz Lightyear’s Tossers”.

There is a real thrill and novelty in the way your shots are translated by one of 150 computers into balls, darts or other missiles on the screen.

Simpsons: The six minutes of action are so fast and furious that you’ll immediately want to go again, to catch the bits you missed. It begins with the destruction by Sideshow Bob of the roller coaster you seem to be on, unleashing a chaotic rampage through Krustyland.

Your car careers out of control into Captain Dinosaur’s Pirate Rip-Off (a none-too- subtle parody of Disney’s Pirates of the Caribbean), then makes a giant evil robot panda knock the head off an irritating singing elf (woo-hoo! Take that, Disney’s Small World ride), before getting towed around a water tank by a killer whale (Sea World).

Semi-finally, you re-create the Simpsons’ opening credits by bumping the family into their house and on to their sofa… before the mayhem starts up all over again.

IN-QUEUE ENTERTAINMENT

Toy Story: The antechamber is a giant bedroom, with outsized toys and board games, and features the world’s most sophisticated Animatronic: a talking, moving Mr Potatohead, which cost $1 million to build.

Simpsons: TV screens show clips from past episodes linked with newly commissioned material, such as safety tips from hopeless police chief Wiggum: “If you must throw up, do it in your hat. And beware Sideshow Bob: if you see him, call 119… no, 191… er…”

FAITHFULNESS TO THE ORIGINAL

Toy Story: The ride has been in development since 2005, though it was only after Disney formally acquired Pixar in 2006 that Toy Story creator John Lasseter properly came on board. He insisted on the original animators being involved, as well as on the inclusion of Buzz Lightyear, whom Disney had left out as he already has his own ride called Astro-Blasters.

Simpsons: Creator Matt Groening, producer James Brooks and the writing team were heavily involved throughout the two-year development of the ride. The original voice artists are featured, most notably Kelsey “Frasier” Grammer as Sideshow Bob.

MERCHANDISING

Toy Story: The gift shop has yet to open, but is expected to include merchandise from a range of Pixar films, not just Toy Story.

Simpsons: The gift shop is housed in - yes! - a Kwik-E-Mart, and has an awesome selection for all ages.

SPECIAL EVENTS

Toy Story: Four floats carry 40 insanely enthusiastic dancers, many dressed in stifling Pixar character suits, grinning away despite the heat. And they do this three times a day.

Simpsons: Whaddya want? as Krusty might say. You’ve had your yuks, now get outta here already ya big schlemiel.

And the winner is…

… you. Toy Story may come out just ahead on points, but both rides are terrific fun. And both companies stand to benefit. As Buzz Lightyear would surely put it, “To liquidity and beyond!” Or, as Homer would more succinctly riposte: “Do’h!”

THE SHOWDOWN: HEAVYWEIGHTS OR LIGHTWEIGHTS?

Toy Story

Big idea 4/5

Fun factor 4/5

In-queue surprises 5/5

True to the original 5/5

Add-ons 4/5

Special events 4/5

The Simpsons

Big idea 4/5

Fun factor 5/5

In-queue surprises 4/5

Faithfulness to the original 5/5

Add-ons 4/5

Special events 0/5

N times of financial belt-tightening, Edinburgh’s city leaders have never been known for their sense of fun.
But the latest revenue-raising idea to come from the City Chambers sparked warnings today of the death of traditional fairgrounds and carnivals.

Funfair operators say they are already being forced out of the city due to the highest licensing fees in Scotland. Now council officials have recommended further increasing the cost of a new or temporary public entertainment licence from this June.

The Showmen’s Guild of Great Britain today said operators would no longer find it financially viable to visit the Capital and would be forced to stay away.

While large funfairs, such as the popular summer shows on the Meadows, will still come to Edinburgh, there are fears that small operations – usually found at shopping centres and community galas – will vanish. For its part, the council today said it had yet to approve the new costs, and insisted it would listen to operators’ concerns.

But Alex Colquhoun, vice chairman of the Scottish section of the Guild, said: “The small funfairs can’t afford to go to Edinburgh. The price of everything is already going up – such as fuel and rental costs – so our members are telling us they can’t afford to put funfairs on.

“Edinburgh is the highest charging council, and it can cost nearly £2000 for a licence, but just £100 in many other areas. If you don’t get a licence, there is no refund or right to appeal.”

Mr Colquhoun said licence costs were also high in Glasgow. However, he said the council there had set up a working group to discuss the issue.

Fees are proposed to rise in Edinburgh from £1066 to £1600 for a small fairground holding between 201 and 1000 people.

In contrast, a temporary six-week licence costs just £25 in East Lothian, £79 in West Lothian or around £90 in Midlothian.

An Easter Carnival is currently operating at the Cameron Toll Shopping Centre in south Edinburgh, run by Andrew Masterton from Funtime Carnivals.

He said today: “I’
m from Fife and I can put on a fair in North Queensferry and pay £18 for a public entertainment licence. But for the same fair across the Forth Road Bridge in South Queensferry, it costs hundreds of pounds. There is no uniformity.”

Mr Masterton said he used to put on smaller shows at the Jack Kane Centre in Niddrie, and Westside Plaza in Wester Hailes, but had now been “priced out of the market”.

The council’s fees for a new or temporary licence currently range from £800 for the smallest of operations to a maximum of £5600 for venues holding more than 10,000 people.

The new charges proposed by officials still start at £800, but would rise to as much as £40,000 for venues hosting over 80,000 people – such as high-profile gigs at Murrayfield.

A council spokesman said: “The committee hasn’t actually reached a conclusion on this yet as there is a further report to follow.”

BULKY Kirsty Warrilow threw a giant wobbly after being kicked off a theme park ride - for being too fat.

The 18-year-old, a size 22, says she was told to get off the Pandemonium ride at Drayton Manor Theme Park when attendants couldn’t bring the safety bar down.

Kirsty, from Sheldon, said she felt humiliated by the experience and is demanding to know why theme parks do not make larger safety harnesses and bars for bigger people.

“The harness went across my stomach fine,” said Kirsty.

“An attendant put her hand on the bar but couldn’t get it to click into place. She called another member of staff who said I was too big for the ride.

“I felt silly and wanted to get off. I also think that they should make the rides a bit bigger and more suitable for bigger people. I’m sure they must think that you must be slim to go to a theme park and enjoy yourself.”

But the Staffordshire theme park today vigorously rejected any claims of size discrimination and said they were just following strict health and safety ride guidelines.

Kirsty, who is 5ft 7ins, went to Drayton Manor, with her stepfather, sister Gina Price, aged 27, Gina’s partner Mark and two step sisters, Stephanie, 15, and Jade, 13.

The family paid more than £100 for day tickets and were enjoying themselves until they took their seats on the Pandemonium ride, which the park says is guaranteed to ‘turn your world upside down’.

The ride swings 64 riders 360 degrees at a height of nearly 25 metres and a force of 3.8G.

Kirsty, who cares full-time for her 48-year-old disabled mother Mary Price, said she “felt like the centre of attention” when told she couldn’t ride by two attendants. I just had to get off and didn’t want to cause a scene. It ruined the rest of my day,” she said.

“My family were all disgusted, telling me to complain but I didn’t want to because I didn’t want to ruin everyone’s day.”

She added: “I feel very uncomfortable and won’t go back there again until I’ve lost weight because I don’t want to be embarrassed or discriminated against.”

A spokesman for the park said: “Drayton Manor Theme Park regrets any offence but the safety of our visitors is paramount.”

He added: “The ride computer would have registered that the safety bar was not in place and automatically prevented the ride from operating.

“All rides have restrictions.

“For example, very tall people cannot fit into the harnesses of Apocalypse.”

Proposals to open a new 87-hectare theme park in Shanghai in 2010 have been put forward to local planning officials.

Called Joy Valley Theme Park, the park is to be built within the existing Sheshan resort area in northwestern Shanghai.

If granted planning permission, the US$572 m (£290, 367 euro) park would dwarf other amusements parks in the region.

Plans for the park include a hotel, a conference centre and a 5,000-capacity theatre.

An MGM theme park will likely be built in an area near Incheon International Airport by around 2011.

Incheon International Airport Corp. on Monday said it has signed a memorandum of understanding with MSC Korea, the South Korean representative of MGM, a major Hollywood film studio, to build a comprehensive amusement park on a 1.5 million-sq.m site in an international business complex near a passenger terminal.

The airport operator hopes to finalize a detailed construction plan with MSC Korea in about four months and dedicate the large-scale amusement park, similar to Universal Studios, by around 2011.

In addition, the airport operator has organized a consortium with U.S. resort builder Eighth Wonder, Macquarie Group of Australia, and POSCO Engineering and Construction of South Korea to build a massive leisure and business complex, which will house a casino, a resort, and a hotel, near the theme park by 2020.

MSC Korea said it decided to build the “MGM Studio Park” near Incheon International Airport in the belief that the area will grow as a tourism hub linking China, Korea and Japan.

But business circles are skeptical about the deal, as MSC had previously offered to build an MGM theme park in Siheung in Gyeonggi Province or in Busan. The offer was later withdrawn on grounds that the land price was too high.

Myrtle Beach is holding a soft opening.

The park is on U.S. 501, not far from Broadway at the Beach. Tuesday, the park opened its doors.

With a stomach full of butterflies, lucky riders took the inaugural trip on the big roller coaster at the park.

The coaster crazies were able to be the first to cruise on Led Zeppelin The Ride, after donating plent of money to charity.

Myrtle Beach’s Cindy Ennis donated more than $1,800 so she and her family can be in the front rows.

Anyor’s Tobias Banks poined up the dough on E-bay to take part in this once in a lifetime jaunt.

The music themed park cost more than $400 million to build.

Tourism officials hope the park can get more than 3 million visitors a year to play in their rock heaven.

During the soft opening, the park just has a few rides running. The grand opening of the park is May 9, and all rides will be ready to rock.

When it comes to status symbols, nothing beats a circle. There is a global race to create the biggest Ferris wheel, and while these attractions are built for fun, the stakes are serious. “These wheels have almost replaced the skyscraper as icons,” says Dennis Speigel, president of the consulting firm International Theme Park Services. When the Singapore Flyer makes its debut this month, it will be the world’s tallest, at 541 ft.—at least until late 2008, when the 607-ft.-high Great Dubai Wheel opens. In 2009, the 682-ft.-high Beijing Great Wheel will surpass both.

 

World’s Tallest Ferris Wheel

 

The larger these monstrous rides become, the greater their capacity and potential profit—and the more seriously builders take them. To start, they don’t call them Ferris wheels. “We categorize them as ‘observational wheels’ because of the capsules,” says Alexander Pieper, spokesman for the Great Wheel Corporation, which developed the Singapore, Dubai and Beijing wheels.

To keep the floor horizontal, motors turn each bus-size glass capsule 360 degrees in one direction while the rim rotates a full revolution in the other. Unlike typical rigid Ferris wheels, observational wheels have cables tensioned as for the spokes of a bicycle. The slow speed allows passengers to enter and exit while the wheel stays in motion.