[title]
Bored of Thorpe Park, Chessington and Legoland, but not bothered enough to trek up to Alton Towers or hop across the Channel to Disneyland Paris? It’s your lucky day. The London Resort, a £3.5 billion entertainment park planned for north Kent, has moved a step closer to becoming reality.
The Resort, touted as the UK’s response to Disney World, was initially announced a decade ago. Splurging out over 535 acres, the pitch promised rides and experiences developed alongside ITV, the BBC and Paramount Studios. The proposed site is the Swanscombe Peninsula, near Dartford, a 17-minute train journey from St Pancras.
The project has endured numerous setbacks. The park has been opposed by wildlife conservation charities Buglife, RSPB and Kent Wildlife Trust, who describe the current peninsula as ‘wildlife-rich spaces’ home to 1,700 species of spiders and invertebrates – with 200 of those being conservation priorities. In response to those charities’ demands, protected status was granted to 250 hectares of the peninsula. Pesky conservationists.
In any case, that ruling hasn't stopped The London Resort from storming ahead with the project, due to open in 2024. Initial plans were approved earlier this year, and the parent company has just opened itself up to potential suppliers and brand partnerships.
The Resort might not be bigger than Disneyland Paris, but it will be at least three times larger than any other UK theme park. Its enormity will be filled with lots of creatively designed zones, from the Mesoamerican-themed The Jungle and twenty-third-century Starport to a dinosaur-based land called Base Camp. Who needs real wildlife when you’ve got plastic dinosaurs, eh?
Here’s a sneak peek at designs for The London Resort:
Can’t wait until 2024? The best theme parks in and around London.