I’ve got a slightly controversial take; even if they could afford it, I’m not necessarily sure if returning The Ultimate would be in their best interests from a business perspective, as much as I and many others would love it from a coaster nostalgia and significance perspective.
I’m sure that there would be a fair few who’d go back if it did reopen (particularly in enthusiast circles), but I’m unsure if it would really be enough to make the inevitably huge investment required worthwhile. Also, the park has changed a fair amount since The Ultimate last operated; within the park’s current lineup, it would essentially be the sole non-kiddie ride, whereas even in 2019, the park did have a fair few sideliners in the thrill and family thrill departments that made it a little more fitting. These have now been removed, which would sadly leave The Ultimate as somewhat of an outlier if it were to reopen, and a somewhat confusing attraction within the park’s lineup. As significant as it would be compared to everything else, it would also be totally out of step with the rest of the park; it would be of no interest to the park’s core demographic, and those who would be interested in it would have absolutely nothing else to do at Lightwater now that all of the other vaguely thrilling rides have been removed.
As much as I’m not ruling out The Ultimate’s return by any stretch, and I’d love to see it come back, I think that from the park’s standpoint, there are more business-friendly places where the money could go that would both cost less on a per attraction basis and fit the park’s current agenda much better. In the mid to long term, I could see Lightwater Valley becoming something akin to the Yorkshire version of Sundown Adventureland, and I honestly think that would be a pretty good path for them to take, albeit a pretty uninteresting one for us enthusiasts and a sad one for those of us who want The Ultimate to return.
I’m not ruling out The Ultimate’s return; I certainly think it could happen! However, viewing it from a business perspective, I’m not sure that bringing it back would be viewed as the most sensible thing to do by the park’s higher-ups, even if it was technically doable. If it did come back, I should think that there would have to be a lot (and I mean a lot) of lust and passion for it to return from management and visitors alike to justify the spend to corporate.