The UK is finally set to get it’s own enormous theme park, if the final approval plans go through. Here is everything that we know about it so far:
Name:
London Paramount Entertainment Resort.
Location:
Swanscombe Peninsula, Kent.
Size:
872 acres.
Cost:
£3.2 billion.
Opening:
Spring/summer 2021.
Attractions:
Rides, indoor water park, theatres, live music venues, cinemas, event space.
The theatre will sit 1500 people and host ‘West End’ quality shows.
Theme:
Paramount Pictures has a deal with Aardman Animations and BBC Worldwide. This means that we would see rides themed around Paramount films, such as Titanic, Transformers, Mission Impossible and Friday the 13th. We would also expect attractions themed around the likes of Wallace & Gromit and Dr. Who in respect to the deals with other companies. Early images of plans have shown a Star Trek themed land.
Benefits for Kent:
It’s said the park will create 27,000 sustainable jobs and boost tourism to other attractions in Kent.
Setbacks:
There has been opposition to the plans, mostly from the businesses in the area who fear that they would have to move if the plans go ahead. There is also concern that the area will not be able to cope with the influx of tourists due to a lack of hotels.
There was also an accounting error where the developer Company Holdings thought that they had £291,000 in the bank, but they only had £952.
What about the local area?
The developers have been consulting local environmental agencies to ensure that any impact is minimal. In addition to this, the park will include areas of ‘environmental enhancement’ and ‘habitat creation’ for wildlife. Since there has been concerns about how the area will cope with the demand of visitors, the developers will focus on connectivity, putting dual carriageway access to the park from the A2 and a jetty on the river to access the park by boat.
Wider appeal:
The theme park will be located near Ebbsfleet Station, which is on the Eurostar route. This makes it incredibly accessible for European tourists, particularly from France, Belgium and the Netherlands.
How far along is the planning process?
The park is still subject to a development consent order before construction can begin.
It’s hoped that if approved, construction could begin in 2017-18.
According to the website, the Entertainment section of the resort will open first, followed by rides and attractions.
We will follow the story of London Paramount throughout the development process, but what do you think? Will it work?
Will the UK’s answer to #Disneyland work? #ParamountLondon #ThemePark #Kent #UK #BBC #ParamountPictures
— Holiday Numbers (@holiday_numbers) April 29, 2016
