The London Resort have today announced that they have submitted their Development Consent Order (DCO) – a key step in the planning process for the project.

Although the full DCO, said to comprise of over 25,000 pages of reports, assessments and analysis, is not yet publicly available, London Resort Company Holdings (the company behind the London Resort Project) have stated that it confirms a number of the development’s key elements. As previously revealed, the Resort is planned to feature two theme park gates, a waterpark, conference & convention centre and e-Sports facility. Over 3,500 hotel rooms will also be created and two ferry terminals (one each side of the River Thames) will be built, along with back-of-house facilities, a visitor centre and a new road from the A2.

Projected to be one of the largest, single-site employers in the UK, the London Resort is expected to make a significant contribution to the UK economy, with it highlighted that independent research, contained within the application, forecasts a number of economic benefits:

  • £50bn of gross economic activity (GVA) generated in the UK over the initial 25-year period;
  • Over 6,000 construction jobs created;
  • 48,000 direct, indirect and induced jobs created by 2038 – this includes 8,700 employees by 2024 rising to over 17,000 by 2038, directly employed by the Resort
  • Up to £200m in additional tax revenues, directly created by 2038

The London Resort is also aiming to be one of the most sustainable, destinations in the world. It plans to be the first operationally carbon-neutral theme park, is said to deliver a net biodiversity gain and create a green network of amenity areas and parkland to include areas of environmental enhancement and wildlife habitat creation beside the River Thames for local residents and Resort guests. It is also planned that the vast majority of the materials required to construct the Resort will be delivered by River.

PY Gerbeau, Chief Executive for The London Resort said:

“I arrived at this project eighteen months ago and it has been non-stop ever since. We have revived, reviewed, and reprogrammed the entire venture. This will be so much more than just a theme park.

“We have built excellent relationships with many stakeholders and are working closely with the elected local Council leaders. This has been an incredibly challenging journey and we look forward to working with the UK Government over the next twelve months.”

The submission of the application is in line with the most recently issued timeline that indicated that the DCO would be submitted by the end of 2020. The Government, through its Planning Inspectorate agency, now has a period of 28 days in which they write to the local authorities and, together, assess ‘adequacy’ on the consultation and carry out an evaluation of the application before they accept or reject the submission. If the application is accepted, then the application documents will be published, and the project will move into the examination phase. From accepting an application to making a decision, the whole process is said to last approximately 16 months. Therefore, if successful in securing development consent, construction of the Resort could begin in 2022, with a view to opening in 2024.

This latest news concludes a year during which there has appeared to be significant progress on the project, with the submission of the Environmental Impact Assessment Scoping Report back in June, and the conclusion of the final phase of public consultations in October. Stick with us during the coming months for further analysis of the application if and when it is published.

What are your thoughts on this latest progress for the proposed London Resort? Share your thoughts over on the Attraction Source Forum.

Make sure you also check out our comprehensive London Resort Guide, which contains everything we know so far.

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