Paramount London
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

The London Resort was a proposed
theme park An amusement park is a park that features various attractions, such as rides and games, and events for entertainment purposes. A theme park is a type of amusement park that bases its structures and attractions around a central theme, often fea ...
and
resort A resort (North American English) is a self-contained commercial establishment that aims to provide most of a vacationer's needs. This includes food, drink, swimming, accommodation, sports, entertainment and shopping, on the premises. A hotel ...
in
Swanscombe Swanscombe /ˈswɔnzkəm/ is a town in the Borough of Dartford in Kent, England, and the civil parish of Swanscombe and Greenhithe. It is 4.4 miles west of Gravesend and 4.8 miles east of Dartford. History Prehistory Bone fragments and to ...
,
Kent Kent is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South East England. It is bordered by Essex across the Thames Estuary to the north, the Strait of Dover to the south-east, East Sussex to the south-west, Surrey to the west, and Gr ...
, first announced on 8 October 2012. Originally known as the London Paramount Entertainment Resort, the project originally involved
Paramount Pictures Paramount Pictures Corporation, commonly known as Paramount Pictures or simply Paramount, is an American film production company, production and Distribution (marketing), distribution company and the flagship namesake subsidiary of Paramount ...
. When Paramount pulled out of the project in 2017, the complex's name was shortened to just London Resort. The company later acquired the necessary licences to still have rides based on Paramount Pictures' films. In March 2022, the application for the resort was officially withdrawn following concerns raised by
Natural England Natural England is a non-departmental public body in the United Kingdom sponsored by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs. It is responsible for ensuring that England's natural environment, including its land, flora and fauna, ...
, and issues with the
free port A free-trade zone (FTZ) is a class of special economic zone. It is a geographic area where goods may be imported, stored, handled, manufactured, or reconfigured and re-exported under specific customs regulation and generally not subject to ...
status of
Tilbury Tilbury is a port town in the borough of Thurrock, Essex, England. The present town was established as separate settlement in the late 19th century, on land that was mainly part of Chadwell St Mary. It contains a Tilbury Fort, 16th century fort ...
. The company announced its intention to scale back plans and to resubmit an application the following year. London Resort Company Holdings went into
administration Administration may refer to: Management of organizations * Management, the act of directing people towards accomplishing a goal: the process of dealing with or controlling things or people. ** Administrative assistant, traditionally known as a se ...
in March 2023. The project was largely backed by Abdulla Al-Humaidi, who also served as director until his own bankruptcy in 2023. Some doubted that the resort would ever be built. In 2023, Paramount sued London Resort Company Holdings, alleging that the restructuring implemented earlier that year was unfair and featured irregularities.


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. 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". With an initial completion date announced for 2019, the park and related enterprises were expected to employ 27,000 people. Plans were since reviewed and revised, with the London Resort announcing its intention to open in 2024. Considerable uncertainty as to when the planning application would be made lingered, and the appointed Examining Authority was increasingly critical of the lack of progress made by the LRCH in updating documents ahead of the examination. The park was initially planned in partnership with
Paramount Pictures Paramount Pictures Corporation, commonly known as Paramount Pictures or simply Paramount, is an American film production company, production and Distribution (marketing), distribution company and the flagship namesake subsidiary of Paramount ...
, and would have been known as the London Paramount Entertainment Resort, 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. Following meetings between representatives of the project and government ministers (
George Osborne George Gideon Oliver Osborne (born 23 May 1971) is a British retired politician and newspaper editor who served as Chancellor of the Exchequer from 2010 to 2016 and as First Secretary of State from 2015 to 2016 in the Cameron government. A ...
,
Bob Neill Sir Robert James MacGillivray Neill KC (Hon) (born 24 June 1952) is a British barrister and Conservative Party politician. He served as the Member of Parliament (MP) for Bromley and Chislehurst from 2006 to 2024. He served as a Parliame ...
,
Brandon Lewis Sir Brandon Kenneth Lewis (born 20 June 1971) is a British politician who served as Secretary of State for Justice and Lord Chancellor from September to October 2022. He previously served as Chairman of the Conservative Party from 2018 to 201 ...
and
Kris Hopkins Kristan Frederick Hopkins (born 8 June 1963) is a British Conservative Party politician, who was formerly the Member of Parliament for Keighley in West Yorkshire. Elected in 2010, he served as Vice-Chamberlain of the Household, a government w ...
), it became the first commercial venture to be awarded
nationally significant infrastructure project In England and Wales, a nationally significant infrastructure project (NSIP) is a major infrastructure development that bypasses Planning permission in the United Kingdom, normal local planning requirements. These include proposals for power pla ...
status, allowing the developers to bypass local planning requirements. '''' In 2014, it was hoped that the park would spur the development of a new Garden City development at nearby Ebbsfleet. A ferry terminal was proposed on Swanscombe Peninsula to bring visitors from another new terminal in
Tilbury Tilbury is a port town in the borough of Thurrock, Essex, England. The present town was established as separate settlement in the late 19th century, on land that was mainly part of Chadwell St Mary. It contains a Tilbury Fort, 16th century fort ...
,
Essex Essex ( ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in the East of England, and one of the home counties. It is bordered by Cambridgeshire and Suffolk to the north, the North Sea to the east, Kent across the Thames Estuary to the ...
. The cost of the development was estimated at £3.5 billion in 2017, although it was not clear how – and from whom – this funding would be provided. The Funding Statement submitted with the planning application says that “investors to fund the equity and debt financing have been identified but have chosen to remain confidential at present”.


Process

A Development Consent Order (DCO) application was submitted on 31 December 2020. 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 Natural England is a non-departmental public body in the United Kingdom sponsored by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs. It is responsible for ensuring that England's natural environment, including its land, flora and fauna, ...
to designate much of the development area as a
Site of Special Scientific Interest A Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) in Great Britain, or an Area of Special Scientific Interest (ASSI) in the Isle of Man and Northern Ireland, is a conservation designation denoting a protected area in the United Kingdom and Isle ...
(SSSI). There were further delays and extensions, and in December 2021 the Examining Authority (at the Planning Inspectorate) launched a consultation (until 24 January 2022) with the applicant and interested parties (which includes objectors), asking whether an ongoing delay to the commencement of this Examination as requested by the applicant (LRCH) remains justified, appropriate and in the public interest. The Examining Authority signalled that if the delay was curtailed, it could proceed directly to examine the application as currently before it, commencing in March 2022. LRCH's option on the majority of the land needed for the development expired in December 2022, according to the accounts of owners Swanscombe Development LLP. On 29 March 2022, plans were officially withdrawn, citing Natural England's concerns and issues with the classification of Tilbury as a
free port A free-trade zone (FTZ) is a class of special economic zone. It is a geographic area where goods may be imported, stored, handled, manufactured, or reconfigured and re-exported under specific customs regulation and generally not subject to ...
. Chief executive PY Gerbeau announced the company's intention to submit fresh plans before the end of the year. In December 2022 it was announced that the plans for the park had been scaled back and that PY Gerbeau would step down as CEO and that the plans for the resort would be resubmitted in 2023. In March 2023, LRCH went into administration, and said they were going to resubmit plans, although this has yet to happen. In November, Paramount sued LRCH, and nothing else about the project has come since. On 27 June 2024, Swanscombe Development LLP was listed for sale and thus the land for The London Resort itself along with it. In December 2024, the High Court confirmed that the company behind the resort had ceased to trade and ordered that a petition be presented for its winding-up. In January 2025, a High Court judge ordered the company be wound up.


Attractions

The themed lands planned for the park included: * 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: * A triple launched roller coaster exceeding 70 mph and 1 km of track based on the
Quetzalcoatlus ''Quetzalcoatlus'' () is a genus of azhdarchid pterosaur that lived during the Maastrichtian age of the Late Cretaceous in North America. The Type (biology), type specimen, recovered in 1971 from the Javelina Formation of Texas, United States, ...
* 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 and ziplines * Two food and beverage locations, one celebrating the life and legacy of
Mary Anning Mary Anning (21 May 1799 – 9 March 1847) was an English fossil collector, fossil trade, dealer, and palaeontologist. She became known internationally for her discoveries in Jurassic marine fossil beds in the cliffs along the English Cha ...
and the other an underwater restaurant
Paramount Pictures Paramount Pictures Corporation, commonly known as Paramount Pictures or simply Paramount, is an American film production company, production and Distribution (marketing), distribution company and the flagship namesake subsidiary of Paramount ...
was attached to the proposal, with the intention of showcasing Hollywood and British culture. Several companies that planned to support the project but later backed out include
Aardman Animations Aardman Animations Limited, known simply as Aardman, is a British animation studio based in Bristol, England, United Kingdom. It is known for films and television series made using stop motion and clay animation techniques, particularly those fe ...
, the
British Film Institute The British Film Institute (BFI) is a film and television charitable organisation which promotes and preserves filmmaking and television in the United Kingdom. The BFI uses funds provided by the National Lottery to encourage film production, ...
, the
BBC The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) is a British public service broadcaster headquartered at Broadcasting House in London, England. Originally established in 1922 as the British Broadcasting Company, it evolved into its current sta ...
, and
ITV ITV or iTV may refer to: Television TV stations/networks/channels ITV *Independent Television (ITV), a British television network and company, including: **ITV (TV network), a free-to-air national commercial television network in the United Kingd ...
. The latter two backed out of the project in February 2022, after reports that the endangered
Attulus distinguendus ''Attulus distinguendus'', also called the distinguished jumper spider, is a species of spider in the family Salticidae, the jumping spiders. Until 2017, it was placed in the genus ''Sitticus''. It inhabits central and western Europe, the Palaear ...
species of spider, better known as the distinguished jumping spider, was discovered to be living on the site. Other rides and attractions that were expected to be based on Paramount blockbusters were '' Mission: Impossible'', ''
The Italian Job ''The Italian Job'' is a 1969 British comedy Caper story, caper film written by Troy Kennedy Martin, produced by Michael Deeley, directed by Peter Collinson (film director), Peter Collinson, and starring Michael Caine. The film's plot centres ...
'' and ''
A Quiet Place ''A Quiet Place'' is a 2018 American post-apocalyptic horror film directed by John Krasinski. The screenplay was written by Scott Beck and Bryan Woods from a story they conceived, with contributions by Krasinski after he joined the project. T ...
''. It was confirmed that 70% of the parks attractions would be indoors due to England's weather conditions, allowing year-round operation.
BBC Worldwide BBC Worldwide Ltd. was the wholly owned commercial subsidiary of the BBC, formed out of a restructuring of its predecessor BBC Enterprises in January 1995. The company monetised BBC brands, selling BBC and other British programming for broadcas ...
productions expected to feature in the theme park were ''
Doctor Who ''Doctor Who'' is a British science fiction television series broadcast by the BBC since 1963. The series, created by Sydney Newman, C. E. Webber and Donald Wilson (writer and producer), Donald Wilson, depicts the adventures of an extraterre ...
'', '' Sherlock'' and ''
Top Gear Top Gear may refer to: * "Top gear", the highest gear available in a vehicle's manual transmission Television * ''Top Gear'' (1977 TV series), a British motoring magazine programme * ''Top Gear'' (2002 TV series), a relaunched version of the ori ...
'' Rides and attractions that would have also been featured included the ITV children's programmes '' Thunderbirds Are Go'' and ''
Robozuna ''Robozuna'' is a British animated science fiction children's television series on CITV and Netflix starring Taylor Clarke-Hill, Tom Clarke-Hill and Luke Howard. The premise revolves around a planet seized by an evil empire and its legion of robo ...
''.


Development

The site, which is not in London, straddled the border of the
Dartford Dartford is the principal town in the Borough of Dartford, Kent, England. It is located south-east of Central London and is situated adjacent to the London Borough of Bexley to its west. To its north, across the Thames Estuary, is Thurrock in ...
and
Gravesham Gravesham ( ) is a local government district with borough status in north-west Kent, England. The council is based in its largest town of Gravesend. The borough is indirectly named after Gravesend, using the form of the town's name as it appear ...
boroughs and both authorities had previously pledged their support. 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. In April 2013 newspaper reports 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 ''Attulus distinguendus'', also called the distinguished jumper spider, is a species of spider in the family Salticidae, the jumping spiders. Until 2017, it was placed in the genus ''Sitticus''. It inhabits central and western Europe, the Palaear ...
'') to another suitable site. The following month, the ''
Kent Messenger The ''Kent Messenger'' is a weekly newspaper serving the mid-Kent area. It is published in three editions - Maidstone, Malling, and the Weald. It is owned by the KM Group and is published on Thursdays. History The ''Kent Messenger'' grew fr ...
'' reported that plans for the theme park could be endangered if a new
Lower Thames Crossing The Lower Thames Crossing is a planned road crossing of the Thames estuary downstream of the Dartford Crossing that links the counties of Kent and Essex, and its proposed approaches. When built it will pass through the districts of Thurrock and ...
was sited over the Swanscombe Peninsula and quoted Sefton: "It could really scupper plans. We are in the final throes of negotiating a very large investment and this makes it very difficult." The proposal was rejected that December. 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. An environmental report was also submitted in June 2020. On 31 December 2020, LRCH submitted its Development Consent Order (DCO) planning application to the Government, via the
Planning Inspectorate The Planning Inspectorate (sometimes referred to as PINS) is an executive agency of the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government of the United Kingdom Government with responsibility for making decisions and providing recommendatio ...
. On 28 January 2021, LRCH were advised that the application had been accepted for examination. This was followed on 19 February by an invitation for interested parties to register their interest in the application, up until 31 March. A public inquiry was expected to take up to a year and a half. In the absence of any further delays,
Sky News Sky News is a British free-to-air television news channel, live stream news network and news organisation. Sky News is distributed via an English-language radio news service, and through online channels. It is owned by Sky Group, a division of ...
reported it would lead to the first gate opening in 2024. In March that year,
Natural England Natural England is a non-departmental public body in the United Kingdom sponsored by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs. It is responsible for ensuring that England's natural environment, including its land, flora and fauna, ...
listed much of the proposed site as a Site of Special Scientific Interest in view of its diverse insect life. This led to a significant delay to the progress of the application. On 29 March 2022, the plans were officially withdrawn, with the intention of resubmitting them in 2023. In March 2023, London Resort Company Holdings went into
administration Administration may refer to: Management of organizations * Management, the act of directing people towards accomplishing a goal: the process of dealing with or controlling things or people. ** Administrative assistant, traditionally known as a se ...
. On 17 January 2025, LRCH was issued a winding up order by the High Court, a month after a judge deemed it had breached a payment agreement with its creditors. A spokesman for LRCH said: "The dream of the London Resort has been ended by the courts."


Resorts

In August 2019, LRCH announced a partnership with
Radisson Hotels Radisson Hotels is a multi-brand hotel chain with a worldwide presence. Its brands include several using the Radisson name, as well as other brands like Park Plaza Hotels & Resorts and Country Inn & Suites. In June 2022, Radisson Hotel Grou ...
to build a 430-room hotel within the resort. 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 Esports (), short for electronic sports, is a form of competition using video games. Esports often takes the form of organized, multiplayer video game competitions, particularly between professional players, played individually or as teams. ...
arena and a number of indoor and outdoor theatres.


Reactions

The project received mixed responses within Kent. A commentary in the ''
London Evening Standard The ''London Standard'', formerly the ''Evening Standard'' (1904–2024) and originally ''The Standard'' (1827–1904), is a long-established regional newspaper published weekly and distributed free of charge in London, England. It is print ...
'' in October 2012 called into question the commitment of some of the development partners, namely landowner
Lafarge Tarmac Tarmac is a British building materials company headquartered in Solihull, England. The company was formed as Lafarge Tarmac in March 2013, by the merger of Anglo American's Tarmac UK and Lafarge's operations in the United Kingdom. In July 20 ...
, builder Brookfield Construction and property company Development Securities. In December 2012 the project secured the services of Chris Townsend as its commercial director. Townsend performed the same role for the
London Organising Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games The London Organising Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games (LOCOG) was the organisation responsible for overseeing the planning and development of the 2012 Summer Olympic and Paralympic Games. It was jointly established by the UK Go ...
on behalf of the
London 2012 Summer Olympics The 2012 Summer Olympics, officially the Games of the XXX Olympiad and also known as London 2012, were an international multi-sport event held from 27 July to 12 August 2012 in London, England, United Kingdom. The first event, the ...
and was charged with attracting investors for debt and equity funding. In September 2020, the conservation charity
Buglife Buglife – The Invertebrate Conservation Trust (usually referred to simply as Buglife) is a UK-based nature conservation charity. Structure Buglife's head office is in Peterborough, England; with additional offices in Scotland, Wales, Norther ...
began a campaign to save the Swanscombe Peninsula from development and to have the site designated as a Site of Special Scientific Interest. Buglife described 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 Natural England is a non-departmental public body in the United Kingdom sponsored by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs. It is responsible for ensuring that England's natural environment, including its land, flora and fauna, ...
designated the Swanscombe Peninsula as a SSSI for nationally important invertebrates, breeding birds, plants and geology. This designation was subject to a four-month period (until 12 July 2021) in which anyone could make representations or object to the notification. 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. In response, Buglife described the objection as a "transparent PR effort that misrepresents the data of 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". On 10 November 2021, Natural England's Board met, and decided to confirm the SSSI designation. In doing so, it disregarded LRCH's objections to the SSSI, with the board papers making clear that only very minor adjustments would be made to the boundary. On 24 November, LRCH's Chief Executive wrote to the Planning Inspectorate, describing Natural England's decision as erroneous, before announcing “subtle changes” to the design of the project in response to the SSSI designation. The Chief Executive also set out their “off-site ecological compensation strategy is being reframed to directly account for SSSI impacts”. Natural England responded that “ ff-sitecompensation cannot adequately address the harm that would result to the SSSI from the development proposal, as the feasibility of doing this is considered low and very unlikely to offer an equivalent assemblage and richness of species”. The Thames Crossing Action Group, who represent those opposed to the proposed
Lower Thames Crossing The Lower Thames Crossing is a planned road crossing of the Thames estuary downstream of the Dartford Crossing that links the counties of Kent and Essex, and its proposed approaches. When built it will pass through the districts of Thurrock and ...
, have voiced concerns over traffic issues that would be generated by the London Resort. Similar concerns have also been voiced about traffic and transport by Transport for London, Network Rail, and local Government leaders. Writing in 2021, local newspapers ''
News Shopper The ''News Shopper'' titles are local newspapers published in South East London and North West Kent by Newsquest. There are five local editions: Bexley Borough, Bexley & North Kent, Bromley, Dartford & Gravesend, and Lewisham & Greenwich. ...
'' and ''
Kent Live The ''Kent and Sussex Courier'' is an English regional newspaper, published in Royal Tunbridge Wells, Kent. The paper was the result of an amalgamation of a number of Kent and East Sussex local newspapers, and hence has always been published in ...
'' both queried whether the resort would ever open, given the extensive delays and lack of progress. On 23 November 2021, a number of existing local businesses wrote – along with the ''Save Swanscombe Peninsula'' campaign – to the Planning Inspectorate, challenging the approach which has been taken in granting the applicant (LRCH) a series of extensions, contrary to Government Guidance. The letter set out a series of concerns, including how the uncertainty was blighting the 100+ businesses operating in the shadow of compulsory acquisition, before going on to ask the Examining Authority to take urgent action to prevent delay of the examination beyond April 2022. It was following receipt of this letter which the Examining Authority decided to launch a consultation with the applicant and interested parties on about whether the examination of the application should continue to be delayed. The Examining Authority was critical of LRCH's approach to providing information and said that the applicant's conduct was a relevant consideration for what happens next. In March 2022,
Dartford Dartford is the principal town in the Borough of Dartford, Kent, England. It is located south-east of Central London and is situated adjacent to the London Borough of Bexley to its west. To its north, across the Thames Estuary, is Thurrock in ...
MP
Gareth Johnson Gareth Alan Johnson (born 12 October 1969) is a British politician and former lawyer who served as the Member of Parliament (MP) for Dartford from 2010 to 2024. A member of the Conservative party, he served as Parliamentary Under-Secretary o ...
withdrew his support for the London Resort, citing LRCH's failure to engage with local residents and the impact the resort would have on traffic and wildlife. Interviewed in April 2023, he said he considered the project to be "dead in the water".


See also

*
Universal Studios Great Britain Universal Studios Great Britain is a planned 700-acre (3 km2) theme park and resort complex in Bedfordshire, England. The park is set to be the eighth Universal Studios Resort, and the first in the United Kingdom. History Before the devel ...
*
Legoland Windsor Resort Legoland Windsor Resort (), styled and also known as Legoland Windsor, is a theme park and resort in Windsor, Berkshire in England, themed around the Lego brand. The park opened on 17 March 1996 and is currently operated by Merlin Entertainment ...


References

{{Navboxes, list={{Paramount Parks{{Amusement parks in the United Kingdom{{Kent Paramount Pictures Nationally Significant Infrastructure Projects (United Kingdom) Amusement parks in England