The London Resort News - Further Plans Revealed!
The London Resort has been in the early project planning stages for what feels like forever now, but a few days ago some new and very exciting news about the resort was released. Assuming the huge theme park is actually built in the future, it will become the largest park in the UK and the first to be built from scratch in Europe since Disneyland Paris back in 1992. Crazy, right! That’s probably why it’s been dubbed the UK’s Disneyland. One thing’s for sure, it would definitely generate strong competition between the larger UK and European parks. It would also create thousands of jobs and have a positive impact on UK tourism. The possibility of having a theme park of this size and scale near London is certainly a very exciting prospect! But we’ve still got a little while to wait before the London resort theme park actually opens (if it’s ever built); the first gate of the park is set to open in 2024, followed by a second gate in 2029. But that doesn’t mean we can’t start to get excited!
What do we know so far?
The Details
What is The London Resort? It’s a proposed entertainment resort to be located in North Kent, right by the river Thames and just a short 17 minute train ride from London. Alongside the eventual two-gate theme park, the project plans include the building of new transport links, hotels, restaurants, shops, a water park, conference/convention centre, visitor centre, parking and staff accommodation. The goal is for the resort to be sustainable and follow low-carbon principles. The plans also include habitat enhancements to showcase the natural features of the site and areas of protected green space to provide undisturbed habitats for wildlife. The London Resort Kent hopes to attract visitors from around the globe and feature popular IPs from film and TV. The proposed opening hours are 10am-11pm and daily attendance is forecasted to be 10-50k. Looking at the plans, the resort looks incredible and it would be great to have a resort of this size and scale in the UK!
The Lands
The two main theme parks proposed in the plans make up the ‘Leisure Core’, which will be home to rides, attractions and shows themed to either TV/film brands or unique, exclusive themes made specifically for the resort. Gate one is the larger area (53.5 hectares) and will open first, followed by the second gate (22 hectares) 5 years later. Around 70% of the attractions will be under cover, which is a great move considering how much rain we get in the UK!
Within the first park there are six different proposed ‘Lands’:
The Studios - a modern-day warehouse district inspired by blockbuster movies and explosive action.
The Woods - an enchanted realm putting a fresh spin on fantasy, fairy tales and adventures.
The Kingdom - an ancient land, England during the reign of King Arthur, where you can discover mystical legends, sorcery and dragons.
The Isles - a land of giant creatures and mythical beasts, featuring stunning architecture and 21st century technology.
The Jungle - the ancient ruins of a long-lost civilisation where explorers can discover secrets and strange mystical artefacts.
The Starport - a 23rd century landing zone featuring alien encounters, big thrill rides and out-of-this-world science-fiction adventures.
The Plaza, Market & Hotels
The Plaza is set to be an impressive arrival hub for visitors entering the resort. It will be the entrance point for guests arriving via all modes of transport and will feature navigation tools and signage to help visitors find their way around. From the Plaza, guests can move through to the Market where there will be a range of shops, restaurants and entertainment to explore. There will also be access from the Market to the theme park gates, water park, convention centre and e-sports centre (TV studios/exhibition space).
There are plans to build four hotels which have a total capacity of 3,550 rooms/suites by 2029 to provide accommodation for resort guests. The rooms will suit a range of budgets and preferences and some will be themed to match the themes featured on the theme park attractions and the water park.
Image by The London Resort
Image by The London Resort
Parking & Transport Links
A new visitor access road from the A2 will provide access to the resort by car. Multi-storey car parks will provide parking spaces for 7,500 cars on the main site and an additional 2,500 spaces will be available at the Tilbury site across the river (ferries will be available to transport guests from Tilbury docks to the resort). There will be additional parking for staff, coaches, motor cycles and bikes.
Other new transport interchanges will be added to encourage guests to travel to the resort without relying on cars. There will ferries available from London and Tilbury, walkways/pedestrian routes and cycle routes. Shuttle services will be available from the ferry terminal, Ebbsfleet International Station (the nearest train station) and staff accommodation.
Image by The London Resort
Image by The London Resort
The Timeline
So, all of this sounds great! But when will we know if it’s going ahead? An estimated project timeline for the resort has been released which includes all the steps leading up to the start of construction. At the moment, in 2020, we’re at the statutory consultation stage, which involves communication with the local community affected by the project and also the general public. Over the period of a week (from 27th July until 11.59pm on 21st September), The London Resort is inviting people and businesses to have their say about the proposed plans. This will inform any changes that need to be made moving forward in the process. At the end of this year, they will submit their Development Consent Order (DCO) which is how they will hopefully get permission for the development of the resort. If they obtain permission the will be able to create detailed designs for the entertainment resort and meet with contractors. Then, in the spring of 2022 a decision will be made by the Secretary of State who will decide whether or not the work can start on the project. As the project is so large and is of national significance, the Secretary of State will have to consider the project’s potential impact on the nation as a whole. If work is allowed to begin, construction will begin in 2022 and the resort will open in 2024. However, all of these different stages pose different challenges and potential barriers or hold-ups, so there’s a chance that in reality this timeline might be longer than originally anticipated.
Image by The London Resort
Will The London Resort actually get built?
There’s no way to know whether or not The London Resort will actually come to fruition in the future. All we can do is hope! But there seems to be an awful lot more promise now that we have these recently released plans, compared with the many years of the project being stuck in the early planning stages. It’s certainly an ambitious project to undertake but the end result would be worth it. The UK could really do with a theme park of this size and scale to inject some new, healthy competition in the European theme park industry. It would also be a great resort to visit year-round in the UK, without having to worry about the weather. None of the current major UK parks can cater to guests all year round due to a lack of indoor attractions, so it would definitely be ahead of the game in that respect. At the moment though, all we can do is dream and hope that one day we actually get to step foot in The London Resort.
- Zoe
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