A GIANT Ferris wheel offering a “unique view” of Windsor could be added to Alexandra Garden’s if plans are given the go-ahead.
The applicant, Rose’s Pleasure Parks Limited, want to give residents and visitors ‘prestigious views’ of the town with a refreshment unit in the gardens for up to five years.
The wheel will stand at 32 metres in height and 28.85 metres in diameter while the carriages will be semi-enclosed to protect riders from the “unpredictable British weather” but also provide ventilation.
It would open to the public seven days a week from 11am to 9pm and the wheel can hold up to 144 people on one rotation.
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If approved, the wheel will operate from July 1 to the end of September.
In the design and access statement, the applicant wrote of the benefits the Ferris wheel will bring to the town and to the council.
They said it will “offer a unique view” of Windsor and the castle while there could be financial benefits to the council as the local authority could get either a slice of the revenue or get a fixed sum for ground rent and power usage.
The Windsor and Eton Society, which represents the interests of residents in those areas, said it would be “more appropriate” for the wheel to be in Windsor one-year instead.
They added it was “extremely surprising” residents in nearby Bridgewater Terrace were not notified about this application.
With that in mind, they urged for this application to be heard at a planning panel rather than planning officers approving it without councillors say.
Cllr John Bowden (Con: Eton & Castle) called this application in if it was to be approved by officers for the planning panel to decide its fate.
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On the call-in sheet, he said: “The application site is an important green space in central Windsor.
“The presence of the Ferris wheel will restrict space for residents and visitors. The size of this wheel appears larger and little technical specification.”
The plans can be viewed on the Royal Borough’s planning portal with this reference number: 21/01599/FULL.
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