London Resort

The London Resort

Original artist impression
Location	Swanscombe, Kent, England
Coordinates	51°27′42″N 0°18′42″E / 51.4617°N 0.3117°E / 51.4617; 0.3117Coordinates: 51°27′42″N 0°18′42″E / 51.4617°N 0.3117°E / 51.4617; 0.3117
Theme	British Culture
Owner	London Resort Company Holdings
Operated by	London Resort Company Holdings
Opens	2024 (2024) (proposed)
Previous names	Paramount Kent Paramount Pictures Theme Park
Operating season	Year-round
Area	465 hectares (4.65 km2; 1,150 acres)[1]
Website	londonresort.info
Status	Planned
National Infrastructure Planning has accepted the application. The application will now be looked over and given a recommendation by the Planning Inspectorate before being passed to the Secretary of State.

The London Resort is a proposed theme park and resort in Swanscombe, Kent. The project was first announced on 8 October 2012, and a Development Consent Order (DCO) application was eventually submitted on 31 December 2020.^[2][3] It was originally envisaged that the Examination of the application would get underway in April 2021, but the applicant (LRCH) then asked for an additional four months to submit updates, following a decision by Natural England to designate much of the development area as a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI).^[4][5]

There has since been a further delay, and the Examination is now not expected to get underway prior to mid-January 2022.^[6] LRCH’s option on the majority of the land needed for the development expires in December 2022 (according to the accounts of owners Swanscombe Development LLP), and it is now looking increasingly doubtful whether a DCO will have been secured by then.^[7]

Originally known as the London Paramount Entertainment Resort, the project originally involved Paramount Pictures. Although Paramount pulled out of the project in 2017,^[8][9] leading to the complex's name being shortened to just London Resort,^[10] the company later acquired the necessary licences to still have rides based on Paramount Pictures' films.^[11]

Plan[]

At the 2012 launch of the project it was announced that the complex would feature Europe's largest indoor water park, theatres, live music venues, attractions, cinemas, restaurants, event space and hotels.^[12] Allied to the project would be a training academy for the entertainment and hospitality sectors, a new country park, a large science and education visitor complex and "the biggest performing arts centre in Europe".^[13] With an initial completion date announced for 2019, the park and related enterprises were expected to employ 27,000 people.^[14] Plans have since been reviewed and revised, with the London Resort announcing its intention to open in 2024.^[10]

The park was initially planned in partnership with Paramount Pictures, and would have been known as the London Paramount Entertainment Resort,^[15] with the park's theme having an emphasis on Britain and Kent, as well as Paramount films and entertainment properties. The team at the Resort subsequently agreed with Paramount to separate and the project became known as the London Resort.

The plans for the park received considerable backing from the British government when it became the first commercial venture to be awarded nationally significant infrastructure project status, allowing the developers to bypass local planning requirements.^[16] The cost of the development is estimated at £3.5 billion.^[1][17]

In 2014, it was hoped that the park would spur the development of a new Garden City development at nearby Ebbsfleet.^[18][19]

A ferry terminal is proposed on Swanscombe Peninsula to bring visitors from another new terminal in Tilbury, Essex.^[1]

Attractions[]

The original themed lands planned for the park include:^[20]

• Starport
• The Jungle
• The Isles
• The Kingdom
• The Woods
• The Studio
• High Street

In April 2021, a dinosaur-themed "Base Camp" land was announced featuring:^[21]

• A triple launched roller coaster exceeding 70 mph and 1 km of track based on the Quetzalcoatlus
• A family orientated roller coaster
• An indoor 1500 seat show arena
• A motion-based 4D dark ride themed to water-based dinosaurs
• An interactive dark ride where guests track and tag dinosaurs using "sophisticated gaming technology"
• Play areas, excavation sites, zips lines
• 2 food and beverage locations, one celebrating the life and legacy of Mary Anning and an "underwater" fine dining site

The BBC, ITV^[22] and Paramount Pictures^[11] have been attached to the proposal, with the intention of showcasing Hollywood and British culture. Aardman Animations and the British Film Institute were attached, but later pulled out of the project.^[10][23]

BBC Worldwide productions that are expected to feature in the theme park are Doctor Who, Sherlock and Top Gear^[24] Rides and attractions will also be based on the ITV children's programmes Thunderbirds Are Go and Robozuna.^[25] Other rides and attractions that are expected to based on Paramount blockbusters are Mission: Impossible, The Italian Job and A Quiet Place.^{[citation needed][26]} It has been confirmed that 70% of the parks attractions will be indoors due to England's weather conditions, allowing year-round operation.^[27]

Development[]

Wikimedia | © OpenStreetMap

Land map of London Resort.^[28]

The site, which is not in London, straddles the border of the Dartford and Gravesham boroughs and both authorities have previously pledged their support.^[29] However, Dartford Borough Council has since published its preference for an alternative proposal for the site, with a scheme incorporating “lower density, mixed uses and ecological improvements”, instead of London Resort.^[30]

In April 2013 newspaper reports^[31] claimed development may be delayed by the discovery of a rare species of spider. Sefton pledged to remove the colony of distinguished jumping spiders (Attulus distinguendus) to another suitable site.

The following month, the Kent Messenger reported^[32] that plans for the theme park could be endangered if a new Lower Thames Crossing was sited over the Swanscombe Peninsula and quoted Sefton as saying "It could really scupper plans. We are in the final throes of negotiating a very large investment and this makes it very difficult." However, the crossing proposal was rejected in December of that year.^[33]

In June 2020, further details were released outlining the steps being taken in preparation for submitting planning permission in late 2020, with public consultations scheduled for Q3 2020.^[34][35] An environmental report was also submitted in June 2020.^[36]

On 31^st December 2020, LRCH submitted its Development Consent Order (DCO) planning application to the Government, via the Planning Inspectorate.^[37] On 28^th January 2021, LRCH were advised that the application had been accepted for examination. ^[38] This was followed on 19^th February by an invitation for interested parties to register their interest in the application, up until 31^st March.^[39] A public inquiry is expected to take up to a year and a half.^[40] In the absence of any further delays, Sky News reported it would lead to the first gate opening in 2024.^[41] In March that year, Natural England listed much of the proposed site as a Site of Special Scientific Interest in view of its diverse insect life. This has led to a significant delay to the progress of the application, so a 2024 opening is now looking doubtful.^[42]

Resorts[]

In August 2019, LRCH announced a partnership with Radisson Hotels to build a 430-room hotel within the resort.^[43] In the environmental scoping report published in June 2020, it was detailed that the park intends to build 4 hotels in addition to the theme parks totalling approximately 3550 rooms with 2500 rooms to be available for the first park. The plan also revealed a proposed 3000 seat convention/conference centre, an eSports arena and a number of indoor and outdoor theatres.^[44]

Reactions[]

The project has received both positive and negative responses within Kent.^[45] A commentary in the London Evening Standard in October 2012 called into question the commitment of some of the development partners, namely landowner Lafarge Tarmac, builder Brookfield Construction and property company Development Securities.^[46] In December 2012 the project secured the services of Chris Townsend,^[47] as its commercial director. Townsend performed the same role for the London Organising Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games on behalf of the London 2012 Summer Olympics and is charged with attracting investors for debt and equity funding.

In September 2020, the conservation charity Buglife began a campaign to save the Swanscombe Peninsula from development and to have the site designated as a Site of Special Scientific Interest.^[48] Buglife describe the peninsula as “a brownfield of the highest quality for wildlife, as well as a valued community space for walking, bird watching, angling and escaping the hustle and bustle of North Kent”. In March 2021, Natural England designated the Swanscombe Peninsula as a SSSI for nationally important invertebrates, breeding birds, plants and geology.^[49] This designation was subject to a four month period (until 12^th July 2021) in which anyone could make representations or object to the notification.^[50] Following the ending of the representation period, London Resort Company Holdings announced that they had objected to the designation, and accused Natural England of seeking to frustrate their planning application.^[51] In response, Buglife described the objection as a "transparent PR effort that misrepresents the data of their London Resort’s own wildlife surveys". Natural England subsequently told the BBC that said it would try to address the concerns raised in a "small number of objections", with a final decision due to be taken by its board members in November. The applicant has now announced that it won’t be submitting its updated Environmental Statement until the end of November, thereby allowing it to take account of the final decision on the SSSI earlier that month.^[52] Despite LRCH’s objection to the SSSI, Dartford Borough Council has agreed to amend its new Local Plan, working on the basis that the whole SSSI area will be confirmed.^[53] This follows discussions with Natural England, and it therefore appears that LRCH’s efforts to block the SSSI are unlikely to be successful.

The Thames Crossing Action Group, who represent those opposed to the proposed Lower Thames Crossing have voiced concerns over traffic issues that would be generated by the London Resort^[54] Similar concerns have also been voiced about traffic and transport by Transport for London, Network Rail, and local Government leaders.^[55]

References[]