Dubbed “the U.K. Disneyland” by media outlets across the world, you may have heard of The London Resort, which looks as though it could soon join England’s growing line-up of failed entertainment projects following a turbulent journey through its earliest stages of conception. 

Taking direct inspiration from Disneyland Paris, The London Resort was planned as a theme park and entertainment complex that would see the total transformation of a 465-hectare plot of land in Swanscombe, Kent.

In the years since it was announced as the U.K’s next big premier entertainment offering, The London Resort has encountered an extremely rocky road through its planning, struggling to make it out of even the earliest stages of development. 

With the project having seemingly been put on ice for now, let’s take a look at what we know about The London Resort… 

What Is The London Resort? 

First proposed back in 2012, The London Resort would see the development of two theme parks, a convention centre, an e-sports facility and more, all designed with the hopes of boosting tourism in the U.K. 

The London Resort would also aim to feature the largest indoor water park in Europe alongside various other entertainment outlets such as live music venues and hotels. 

This ambitious and exciting project was set to be helmed by Paramount, as they sought to open their very own theme park complex in the U.K. Initially titled the London Paramount Entertainment Resort, the theme park would have centred around a number of Paramount’s most exciting properties. 

This was sadly never meant to be, however, as 2017 would see Paramount exit the project and the name officially changed to The London Resort. Although, some rights were retained that would see Paramount properties still have a presence within the parks. 

Plans for The London Resort proposed the development of more than 3,500 hotel rooms, as well as two new ferry terminals to aid with transporting guests to and from the resort. The London Resort would also have seen the construction of a new road off of the A2 for this same reason. 

With an initial opening date set for 2019,  The London Resort had piqued the interest of many. However, in the years that followed its first announcement, very little progress would be made with this opening date later shifted to 2024.

Today, estimated costs for the proposed London Resort are reported to be between £2.5-3.5 billion, with investors hoping to see a return of £50 billion for the UK economy, should the plans ever go ahead. 

In terms of what The London Resort would feature, a number of major companies were set to be involved with the project including the BBC, ITV and the British Film Institute, as well as Aardman Animations. 

The London Resort was designed to lean into British culture, with productions such as Top Gear, Doctor Who and Sherlock expected to feature heavily.

As plans currently stand, a number of themed lands have also been conceptualised for this exciting new theme park such as Starport, The Jungle, The Isles, The Kingdom, The Woods, The Studio and High Street. 

As recently as 2021, a Base Camp land was also confirmed for The London Resort which would feature a number of dinosaur-inspired attractions, including four different rides and a 1500-person show arena. 

So, what is happening with the London Resort now and Will it ever be completed?...