Resort Developer Rides £3.5bn ‘UK Disneyland’ Dream
London Resort Company Holdings is moving ahead with plans to build the first theme park from scratch in Europe since Disneyland Paris in 1992.
The plans are expected to be submitted by the end of the year on 465 hectares of brownfield land in North Kent on the banks of the River Thames.
It includes 3,500 hotel rooms, 200 acres of rides across including a water park, an entertainment district, e-sports, conference venues, retail, dining, cinema and theatre.
A large portion of the Swanscombe Peninsula will remain undeveloped and dedicated to wildlife and biodiversity.
If the planning application is successful construction will begin in early 2022 with the first park “gate” to open in 2024 and the second by 2029.
The developer has already made a number of big partnerships for the project including Hollywood’s Paramount Pictures with British companies ITV Studios and BBS Studios.
Radisson Hotel Group will operate the 430-room hotel in the park featuring a bar, restaurant, event spaces, spa and swimming pool.
The London Resort recently completed the fifth stage of public consultation as part of the pre-application process which started in 2014.
London Resort chief executive Pierre-Yves Gerbeau joined the project in 2019 after co-founding X-Leisure and successfully turning around the fortunes of both Euro Disney and the Millennium Dome.
“Getting to this point has not been easy,” Gerbeau said.
“There is no doubting, that our aim of creating one of the most exciting entertainment destinations in the world, here in the UK, has taken another big step towards becoming a reality.
“We now look forward to submitting our DCO application later this year.”
“As well as maximising new, immersive and interactive technologies, our aim is also to be one of the most sustainable major theme parks in the world, pursuing an operational net zero emissions goal.”
The theme park was the first business or commercial project to be accepted as a Nationally Significant Infrastructure Project by the UK Government under the Planning Act 2008 and has received support from the local council and other stakeholders.
