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Kent, England | The London Resort | Entertainment Complex

Snurt2theHark

Roller Poster
This kinda puts things into perspective... Makes me feel for all those affected by these continual delays for all these years... We joke about the fact that they're never going to build it, and some of us think that it may eventually happen. Meanwhile the very threat of it happening has serious consequences for other peoples lives, consequences that they are still unsure, 10 years later, whether they will have to face or not... Talk about living in limbo!


Source: https://infrastructure.planninginspectorate.gov.uk/wp-content/ipc/uploads/projects/BC080001/BC080001-001040-LonR_Douglas Hilton - 26 Nov 2021.pdf

So my reading of this is that this is political corruption scandal involving members from the Conservative Party, and if it does get built it would would damage other theme parks such as Alton Towers and Blackpool Pleasure Beach (and Merlin's Midways), who's workforce predominantly live in Stoke-On-Trent and Blackpool respectively and the presence of these parks also bring indirect economic benefits to their local area and are also constituencies who voted (often for the first time) for the Conservative Party in the last general election, with a government pledging to "level-up" these towns out of deprivation but actually the development of the London Resort would actively harm the economies of local areas surrounding the theme parks.

But still government officials are keen for this project to go ahead, or at least continue despite opposition from locals and businesses, all because a few members of the Conservative Party are set to financially benefit from this so called project.

Disgusting.
 

Matt N

CF Legend
So my reading of this is that this is political corruption scandal involving members from the Conservative Party, and if it does get built it would would damage other theme parks such as Alton Towers and Blackpool Pleasure Beach (and Merlin's Midways), who's workforce predominantly live in Stoke-On-Trent and Blackpool respectively and the presence of these parks also bring indirect economic benefits to their local area and are also constituencies who voted (often for the first time) for the Conservative Party in the last general election, with a government pledging to "level-up" these towns out of deprivation but actually the development of the London Resort would actively harm the economies of local areas surrounding the theme parks.

But still government officials are keen for this project to go ahead, or at least continue despite opposition from locals and businesses, all because a few members of the Conservative Party are set to financially benefit from this so called project.

Disgusting.
What does this project have to do with the current Conservative government, out of interest?

In terms of the delay; I’ll admit I’m not especially surprised by this development. I think they’ve got a far better chance of meeting 2025 than 2024, personally; 2 years seemed like a phenomenally short amount of time to build a new park from the ground up, whereas 3 years seems perhaps more achievable, in my opinion.

On a side note, it would appear they’ve altered the concept art a fair bit; the British and French flags from the huge dome buildings are gone, for a start! Could this be the altered concept coming out of the SSSI designation?
 

Snurt2theHark

Roller Poster
What does this project have to do with the current Conservative government, out of interest?
I recall reading a while ago that ministers from the government designated this as a "project of national significance" I tried to find a link of this and found a link from the London Resort's website that it was. I'm someone who doesn't like to mix interests of politics and theme parks and I really want to say the "innocent until proven guilty" mantra but with all of the political corruption going around in the news cycles at the moment just leaves me disillusioned and pessimistic but I certainly don't want to sound like a conspiracist.

Quote from the London Resort website, I find it suspicious that is is the only commercial project in the UK to receive status of this significance.
The London Resort has been designated as a Nationally Significant Infrastructure Project (NSIP). It was the first ‘Business or Commercial Project’ to be accepted as an NSIP by the UK Government under the Planning Act 2008. As such, we were required to make an application for a Development Consent Order (DCO) to obtain permission to construct and operate the Project.
 

Pokemaniac

Mountain monkey
Staff member
Administrator
Moderator
In terms of the delay; I’ll admit I’m not especially surprised by this development. I think they’ve got a far better chance of meeting 2025 than 2024, personally; 2 years seemed like a phenomenally short amount of time to build a new park from the ground up, whereas 3 years seems perhaps more achievable, in my opinion.
It's still way too short. Universal Studios Beijing took five years and then some, from the start of construction, and London Resort is claimed to be even bigger. Even if the paperwork was sorted out tomorrow and all permissions granted, they would be hard pressed to get it open for 2027.
 
To suggest that that this particular project affecting Stoke or Blackpool is anything other than BPB and AT trying to maintain their position at the top of the UK theme park tree would be so far from the mark it’s untrue. Will it affect their bottom line? Possibly. Does that mean that no new theme park can be built in the UK if it could mean less people would attend these parks? Ridiculous!

While we’re at it lets stop football teams from outside the big clubs buying better players, shopping centres being built away from current ones and airports having more routes so that it doesn’t affect the big London ones who had a monopoly for so long.

Just to avoid any suggestion to the contrary do I beleive this whole project to have any chance of being anything other than a cinema, bowling alley and some restaurants, no of course not. But to see this whole thing as some sort of convoluted conspiracy seems bizarre to me. This Government (and a Labour Governement would be no different) is not capable of setting something like that up without it being well known before too long, just look at the last few weeks. Are some of our politicians corrupt? Yes they are but then so are most people with a bit of power.
 
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Hixee

Flojector
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I would bet my left bollock that 90% of the renderings shown so far won't be anything like what any eventual finished park looks like. It's all about driving interest and investment so that those involved can carry on filling their pockets.
Plus, they probably nicked some ideas from Universal to a] save them time and effort (so they have to spend less of the investors money and can pocket the rest) and b] as it's easily recognisable as one as the most successful theme park areas in the world (so they attract more investors).
 

gavin

Moderator
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That looks amazing. However, this is what, if anything, will really end up there:
db4adc73eb59f35416a3a51870694f75.jpg
 

Pokemaniac

Mountain monkey
Staff member
Administrator
Moderator
Some new concept art has landed of what looks like a heavily themed dueling woodie. Basically Joris on steroids.

View attachment 15270
Unless they put shovels in the ground this afternoon, there's little hope of getting that open by 2025. As illustrated, it is at least as complex as F.L.Y., if not Expedition Everest. Both of those took more than three years to build. We're looking at a tall structure partially enclosing a coaster, which means extensive ground works before anything could be erected. Due to the dynamic forces of the coaster and the wind on the castle, the two would require separate foundations and support structures - entwined into each other, Everest-style. And then there would be all sorts of complex technical installations. Combining a wood coaster, enclosed spaces, and fire is the sort of thing that requires a lot of caution. The design process alone would take years and cost many million pounds. In short, the concept art does not get my hopes up.
 

Matt N

CF Legend
Wow… if the park gets through planning, I’ll be very intrigued to see how they pull that wooden coaster concept off!

Theming rides that heavily with a steel coaster as your ride system is no mean feat, so working with a wooden structure and pulling off something that heavily themed will be really impressive if they’re able to pull it off!
 
Wow… if the park gets through planning, I’ll be very intrigued to see how they pull that wooden coaster concept off!

Theming rides that heavily with a steel coaster as your ride system is no mean feat, so working with a wooden structure and pulling off something that heavily themed will be really impressive if they’re able to pull it off!
I don't think you or they will need to worry too much about how to pull it off...
 
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