After what has seemed like a quiet twelve months for the development of London Paramount Entertainment Resort, further details regarding the status and amended plans for the project have started to emerge giving people an insight into the revised plans for the project for the first time since it was confirmed the planning process was to be delayed by 12 months.
In a change to the original proposals, it has emerged that plans for a waterpark in the Resort have been scrapped with new proposals detailing the possibility of a large indoor swimming pool connecting some of the hotels, as well as adding additional car parking capacity. The planned hotels are now also proposed to be more of a resort-style as opposed to the previous plans for urban-style hotels with up to 1700 beds being available in the first year, rising to 5000 once complete. Speaking about the changes, David Testa, CEO of London Paramount, said:
From the 2014 vision, which had more urban-style hotels, we are looking to have more resort-style hotels which take up a little bit more space.
The 2014 version didn’t allow enough space for hotel-related car-parking. Under our current plans, each hotel has its own dedicated car-parking area.
It’s a bigger footprint for the resort hotels. We don’t have a dedicated pool complex now but there will be a large indoor swimming pool connecting two or three of the hotels. That is one idea we are looking at.
We are not considering that sort of water park idea, which I don’t think we have the footprint for any more.”
It has also been confirmed that, following the decision to delay the submission of the Development Consent Order until mid-late 2017, the proposed opening date for London Paramount is now anticipated to be summer 2022, a delay of 12 months from the previously stated opening date of spring 2021. This latest postponement of the opening date for the development means that the total delay to the project has been 3 years with the first proposed opening date having been summer 2019. It is understood that a further stage of statutory consultation on the latest plans for the project will take place in early 2017 and will include a revised draft of both the masterplan and the Development Consent Order which will be submitted for approval.
In an interview with a local newspaper, David Testa, explained how the recent decision for Britain to leave the EU had boosted the plans for the Entertainment Resort which is due to be located on the Swancombe Peninsular in Kent. It is anticipated that, due to the falling value of the pound, many families will go on ‘staycations’ post-Brexit as opposed to going on holidays abroad in Europe where the pound will be worth less than previously and therefore make a UK based holiday better value for money. A weaker pound will also attract more visitors from abroad as they will be able to get more for their money. Mr Testa said that this in turn has also made the project appear more attractive for foreign investors with projected visitor numbers of eight to nine million in year one, rising to 14 million per year when fully up and running. However, the weaker pound would result in an increase in the cost of construction materials.
There is also positive developments regarding the number of jobs the development is anticipated to create with the expected number of jobs now predicted to be 33, 000 once it opens in 2022, an increase from the 27, 000 previously predicted. Of these 13, 000 would be directly within the Resort, whilst 20, 000 would come from the associated supply chain and service requirements.
What are your thoughts on these latest developments for the London Paramount Project? Are you disappointed to see plans for the waterpark scrapped? Have your say over on the Attraction Source Forum. As more details continue to emerge, Attraction Source will keep you up to date with all the latest London Paramount developments.
