Plans for a 53 metre high ferris wheel to return to York have been given the go-ahead by the City of York Council following proposals by Great City Attractions Global (GCAG).
The firm will be allowed to operate the structure from December of this year until January 2013.
GCAG’s previous wheel next to the National Railway Museum opened in 2006, achieving 200,000 visitors in it’s first six months, but closed in November 2008.
The new attraction, which will be erected next to the Royal York Hotel, will have 42 pods and will be able to carry up to 1,000 people per hour.
The wheel has been approved despite fierce opposition from neighbouring residents. The company’s planning manager claimed that they have never dealt with a single complaint regarding loss of amenity or noise disturbance.
It is thought that the ferris wheel will bring cultural and economic benefits to York.
The Royal York Hotel’s Tony Furlong said that the wheel would be a “dynamic” addition to the city and tourism body Visit York believe it will become “an icon”.