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Just days after the £2.5 billion London Resort confirmed its dream was over, KentOnline has uncovered a series of previously unseen images of what the park hoped to deliver.
On Friday, a High Court judge ordered the company behind the hugely ambitious project for the Swanscombe Peninsula be put into liquidation - a story exclusively revealed by KentOnline.
But now we have unearthed, in an archive, a number of never-seen-before artists’ impressions of how the park could have looked - as well as some of the big names it had signed deals with.
Among them, was a Paddington in Peru area which would have featured the loveable character and given visitors to the sprawling entertainment complex the chance, it appears, to board a boat to go and meet his family.
It also showcases an elaborate outdoor plaza boasting the chance to see Paddington in a special ‘Great Adventures’ section. The properties hosting the event designed to look like Paddington’s London home with the Browns. Nearby, guests would have had the chance to enjoy Madame Kozlova’s steam fair. It’s thought to have come about after the bosses of the doomed park penned a rights deal with Lionsgate - which handles some of the rights to the famous bear.
Another shows a thrilling looking ride with a Ghostbusters theme. Believed to be after it agreed outline terms with Sony Pictures over a possible tie-up. It includes those on the rides being armed with ‘proton packs’ in order to ‘bust ghosts’ as they travelled at speed.
And finally, there was evidence of the park’s tie-up with BBC drama hit Peaky Blinders. London Resort had originally inked a deal with both the BBC and ITV to use some of its big names in the park - but that deal was rescinded in February 2022 after both expressed concerns over its environmental impact.
While the details behind the dedicated area are not revealed, the poster clearly shows fans of the period gangster drama set in Birmingham would, at one stage, have been able to walk in the footsteps of the show.
An aerial CGI of the park - thought to have been the final plans it intended to submit for its Developent Consent Order presentation in 2022 - showcases a number of exhilarating-looking rollercoasters and a number of themed zones, including a dramatic medieval castle, biospheres, waterfalls and a mono-rail transporting guests around the site. There’s also a meandering river with boat rides.
A spokesman for the park refused to comment on the images obtained by KentOnline, and could neither confirm or deny their authenticity.
But it does demonstrate how the park had paid out to secure big-name deals to make the attraction a world-class destination.
The proposed park - set to feature restaurants, hotels, create tens of thousands of jobs and pull in millions of visitors - was first unveiled in 2012 with an initial opening date set for 2019. Constant delays, however, saw the opening date constantly put back.
But, after locking horns with entertainment giant Paramount - which had been left furious by a broken contract it claimed had left it owed millions - its legal pressure has now brought the curtain down on the scheme.
On the same day, the Planning Inspectorate confirmed it was awarding costs to those organisations who had contributed evidence for the Development Consent Order hearing, planned for March 2022, which London Resort pulled the plug on just a day before it was due to begin.
A spokesman for LRCH said: “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.”
Steve Norris, former Transport Secretary under John Major’s Conservative administration in the early 1990s, and a former chairman of LRCH - stepping down last year - described the park’s failure as “a tragedy”.
Speaking to KentOnline, he said: “A decade on from when the project started it still does not have planning consent which is a terrible reflection on our sclerotic planning system.
“I am fairly sure that one of the main reasons why funding from the Gulf dried up was because nobody there could believe the UK government was sympathetic to the project if it still did not have planning consent after so many years and so much money spent.
“Paramount’s attitude appears strangely unhelpful to say the least. It’s a tragedy for those who have lost money, for Kent and for the UK.”
However, the news has been welcomed by conservation groups who were fighting against development of the peninsula, which had been designated a SSSI (Site of Special Scientific Interest).
Kent Wildlife Trust’s Nicky Britton-Williams says: “Yesterday marked the decisive end of the London Resort project, bringing much-needed relief to the precious wildlife of the Swanscombe Peninsula and the local community that relies on this vital natural space.
“This outcome has been a long time coming, achieved through the relentless efforts of local campaigners and the united action of wildlife charities.”
Jamie Robins of the charity Buglife added: “We’re delighted to have confirmation that the London Resort theme park is dead in the water. For over a decade the threat of the London Resort has hung over the peninsula’s wildlife and local community, even when it became clear that it was one of the most important places in the South East for wildlife.
While David Mairs of CPRE Kent concluded: "The unprecedented award of costs to the coalition of conservation bodies who battled this misbegotten scheme is pure vindication for the time, effort and energy expended upon it.
"Even if it’s doubtful that those costs will actually be paid, the point that the developer behaved unreasonably has been very much made.
“The London Resort scheme should never have been an NSIP in the first place and now, after dragging on far too long, should be revoked. The Swanscombe Peninsula was declared a SSSI for a reason and should be protected in perpetuity for wildlife and local people.”