A colossal £3.5billion theme park dubbed the ‘British Disneyland’ should have sprawled across an area equivalent to 136 Wembley Stadiums however the long awaited dream never came to fruition. The London Resort, proposed by the London Resort Company Holdings (LRCH), was set to be built on the 372-acre Swanscombe Peninsula near Dartford and was first announced in 2012.
The grand vision included 50 rides and attractions, including eight huge roller coasters and different zones containing medieval castles and an Aztec pyramid, together with a 2,000-seat theatre and nightclub as well as water parks and hotels. The artist’s impressions depicted floodlights illuminating a grand castle and lava waterfalls in the park; it would have been the biggest investment in Europe since Disneyland Paris in 1992.
Politicians and local councils were optimistic about the project, hoping that the resort would bring more than 30,000 jobs – but now the idea lies in tatters.
However, the ride is now over on the ambitious idea after its land was put up for sale by developers. After thirteen years mired in legal and planning quagmires, the “Dartford Disneyland” met its demise when the High Court pushed LRCH, the company behind the venture, into insolvency.
The company behind the project, London Resort Company Holdings (LRCH), said in a statement: “The dream of the London Resort has been ended by the courts.
“Natural England fatally wounded the scheme, a single creditor has killed it and, with it, any chance of the UK competing on the envisaged scale of London Resort.”
LRCH’s final blow was when the company clashed with entertainment behemoth Paramount over alleged contract breaches, leading to legal issues that ultimately ended the project. Paramount, the Hollywood powerhouse behind iconic films like Titanic, Indiana Jones, and The Godfather, had initially agreed to lend its name and intellectual property rights to the park.
This would have allowed LRCH to use film titles such as Star Trek and Mission: Impossible for its attractions, but Paramount later withdrew from the agreement.
Back in October last year, Dr Abdulla Al-Humaidi, the Kuwaiti entrepreneur spearheading the project, confessed that his involvement had “destroyed” his life, confessing it had also “ruined my reputation and left me bankrupt”.
However, although the lights have turned off on this project the UK is poised to open the first Universal-branded theme park and resort in Europe.
Plans for the incredible new Universal Studios UK theme park in Bedfordshire has been unveiled. The massive new attraction – predicted to bring in £50 billion to the UK- will create about 28,000 jobs – nearly 20,000 during the construction phase, and 8,000 more in hospitality and the creative industries when it opens.
Universal estimates the 476-acre complex could attract 8.5 million visitors in its first year. A 500-room hotel and a retail and entertainment complex is planned alongside the theme park, which will be built on a former brickworks.