Sugarloaf Mountain zipline blocked by judge in Brazil
The Rio de Janeiro mountain has been part of a designated Unesco World Heritage Site since 2012
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A Brazilian judge has blocked plans to build a zipline from Sugarloaf Mountain to a nearby hill in Rio de Janeiro.
The project to link Brazil’s famous mountain to the Morro da Urca hillside began construction in September 2022, prompting protests from locals and environmental activists.
The groups argued that construction work to build zipline platforms on the Unesco World Heritage Site would cause irreparable damage.
The proposed attraction would propel visitors at speeds of almost 62mph over four half-mile ziplines, reported BBC News.
Sugarloaf Mountain has been part of a designated Unesco World Heritage Site since 2012.
The project had previously been approved by both the Rio City Council and the National Historical and Artistic Heritage Institute (IPHAN).
On 31 March, Judge Paulo Andre Manfredini ruled that IPHAN and the project's developer would pay 30 million reals (£4.35m) in damages, noting the “inestimable value of Sugarloaf Mountain, not only for Brazilians but for people worldwide”, said BBC News.
According to developers, Companhia Caminho Aereo Pao de Acucar, the project was 95 per cent completed, after construction work restarted in January amid a three-year legal battle.
The Parque Bondinho Pao de Acucar site is already home to a cable car network with a capacity for 1,360 passengers per hour.
“It’s a huge victory”, activist Gricel Osorio Hor-Meyll, who had led the campaign against the zipline, with Ecological Action Group, told AFP.
The zipline developer is expected to appeal against the decision.
Closer to home, London’s Olympic Park could soon be home to a 440-metre-long zipline.
Proposals to run a wire from the ArcelorMittal Orbit tower as a visitor attraction have been submitted to Tower Hamlets and Newham councils.
The ArcelorMittal Orbit is a 114.5-metre-tall observation tower, which offers views of London landmarks from its Stratford site. Built to commemorate the London 2012 Olympics, it is Britain’s largest piece of public art and the world’s longest tunnel slide.
Zip World, operator of the Orbit Tower, is seeking planning permission from both councils to install the new “unique and exhilarating experience”.
Read more: London could get new zipline as Olympic Park plans submitted
