Chessington’s ‘Project Play’ gets the go-ahead

I reported a while back that Chessington had submitted planning permission to re-develop the Mexicana area of the park. Yesterday, that planning permission was granted by Kingston upon Thames Borough Council. You can see the full planning application here.

What next?

It’s been reported that some preliminary work has already started in the Mexicana area of Chessington, with some buildings already being emptied/cleared ready for demolition.

Now that planning permission has been granted it’s expected that boarding will be put up around the area before the start of the 2025 season and that we’ll see demolition of the buildings and removal of Scorpion Express early on in the season.

We’ll also then see work begin on creating this new area throughout the 2025 season. This will tie into the expectation that Wild Asia will close at some point during the 2025 season ready to begin it’s transformation into Minecraft land which will see the addition of a new roller coaster and other attractions. As part of this the bus ride will be removed to the new project play area.

What is Project Play?

Aimed at pre-schoolers, Project Play is a new area coming to Chessington for 2026 which will include a new roller coaster, 2 new flat rides, Jungle Bus (re-themed) a new shop, toilets and play area.

The planning permission documents suggest the flat rides will be a balloon ride and a second ride with Zamperla expected to provide all rides in the area.

Whilst no theme has been confirmed rumours suggest it could be Paw Patrol. I’d expect Chessington to reveal more about this new area throughout the season.

Conclusion

It’s an exciting time for Chessington with plenty of new developments coming over the next couple of years and I love that Merlin are investing in this park.

I probably won’t be visiting again until the new Minecraft Coaster opens as I’m not really the demographic for Chessington but it’s always a great park to visit filled with nostalgia!