London Resort Company Holdings (LRCH) – the company behind the £2bn (US$3bn, €2.8bn) Paramount London theme park and resort development in Kent – has announced the project is on-track despite a year-long delay in planning submission.
LRCH announced today (3 June) that it had completed a further full year of environmental surveys and is making “good progress” on the transport studies, along with reviews of its business plan and its masterplan by Farrells.
A planning application was originally supposed to be filed in Q3 2016, but LRCH is insistent that work is progressing and that the scheme will go ahead as planned.
“We are entering a critical stage in the planning process for the entertainment resort,” said LRCH executive director David Testa. “While we had hoped to have submitted an application by now, it is much more important to ensure the evidence base is robust and comprehensive to maximise the prospects of success, which means the preparation time is longer. The funds are in place to take this project through the planning process.
“We have decided that, given some of the changes we are making to the masterplan, we should hold a further round of public consultation on the updated information. This decision comes as part of our continued dialogue with the planning inspectorate and local authorities in Dartford, Gravesham and Kent, and the Ebbsfleet Development Corporation. Following the further consultation events, we intend to submit our application to the planning inspectorate in 2017.”
With Farrells providing earlier conceptual masterplanning, the firm was commissioned to produce the development’s full masterplan, which was predicated on the need to integrate a leisure core offering a range of supporting uses, including the proposed waterpark, events space, hotel and other infrastructure.
The central areas of Paramount London are now scheduled to open to the public in Q2 2021, with additional rides and attractions scheduled to come in the following years. LRCH estimates that the project will generate 27,000 jobs for the area.
