The London Resort

[Chris]

Paramount has never really had the strongest IP's anyway - I still have high hopes for the project.

Good point about Motiongate - it is a very well presented park with completely mixed attractions. We just need that on a bigger scale with some quality rides and coasters.

[theparklifekid]

Taken from the projects website:



1. A world-class theme park with themed rides, attractions and experiences, as well as daytime and night-time shows and parades
2. A range of hotels including flexible space capable of hosting conferences, exhibitions and events
3. A range of indoor entertainment including cinema and nightclubs
4. Themed food and beverage outlets and retail
5. Control centre and guest service facilities
6. Transport improvements including a dedicated dual carriageway access road between the A2 and the Entertainment Resort
7. A green network to include areas of environmental enhancement and wildlife habitat creation beside the River Thames
8. A range of connectivity improvements including public footpaths and cycle routes along the River Thames and enhancements to the existing jetty on the river to facilitate access by boat
9. Thousands of onsite car park spaces plus provision for coaches, motorcycles and bicycles
10. Enhancements to flood defence works
11. Landscaping including water features such as ponds

Source: http://londonresort.info/#theproject

[theparklifekid]

There is currently a rumour going around that London Resort Company Holdings, the former Paramount London licensees, are indeed in talks with NBC Universal about bringing a Universal Studios theme park to Kent in light of the cancelled Paramount project.

This is only a rumour so don't take this seriously, but I think it would be pretty cool to get a Universal Studios London!

[Bert]

I held my breath when I read that, But I know it won't happen. A Universal Park in the UK, Merlin could be on some serious competition here! 

I hope this rumour is true! 

[OhShambhala]

Ok breath this is just a rumour, but my damn I hope this is true this would literally be a dream especially if Potter was implemented. Do you know where this rumour came from?

[Robert.W]

If Universal were to come on board with the project, wouldn't the current plans need to be modified significantly, and would then mean the opening would be pushed back further...? As for a Harry Potter land, I would imagine that if Universal were to open any park in the UK, a Potter land would probably open with the park anyways. Of course though, this would all depend on wether or not this rumour is even true!

[Ladyofthelake]

I would treat any rumour of Universal putting their name to this project with a pinch of salt. It may be that London Resort Company Holdings have spoken to NBC and Universal about potentially using some of their IPs, however I very much doubt it would be a full universal park, especially given the current deals with BBC and Aardman. Even if it did turn out to be a Universal park, it would be unlikely we'd see Harry Potter included given the existing Studio Tours attraction already in the UK - I strongly suspect there would be some form of measure preventing a competing attraction being built and therefore taking the Studio Tour's customers away.

The most likely scenario we may see is that one or two Universal film IPs used as the basis of attractions or shows which would sit alongside other IP based attractions e.g. those based on IPs from the BBC, perhaps in a Motiongate type set up where different areas are based on different companies/studios. As for the current plans, until they are submitted to the government then they can be easily adapted and modified. However, due to the development having the Nationally Significant Infrastructure Project status, the plans which are submitted need to be extremely detailed and there will not be the scope to change and amend them once approved (unlike with plans submitted to local councils where developers can apply for amendments after approval). This means that when the plans go in we should know what range of rides we will be seeing, even if they don't yet have IPs for them all.

[abigsmurf]

Decades ago Universal were allegedly planning a themepark a few minutes down the road that was torpedoed by concerns over the marshland wildlife so it's not unthinkable they'd consider branding a UK park.

I can't see them just doing a hands off licencing only approach. Licensing Universal Properties would probably carry as much risk of diluting the brand (and losing valuable tourists doing Florida holidays) as making it a full park so they may as well go all in. I'll remain cautious about this rumour as it's too likely to be wishful thinking/speculation that has been repeated a few times then treated as having a factual basis.

[Bert]

I would treat any rumour of Universal putting their name to this project with a pinch of salt. It may be that London Resort Company Holdings have spoken to NBC and Universal about potentially using some of their IPs, however I very much doubt it would be a full universal park, especially given the current deals with BBC and Aardman. Even if it did turn out to be a Universal park, it would be unlikely we'd see Harry Potter included given the existing Studio Tours attraction already in the UK - I strongly suspect there would be some form of measure preventing a competing attraction being built and therefore taking the Studio Tour's customers away.

The most likely scenario we may see is that one or two Universal film IPs used as the basis of attractions or shows which would sit alongside other IP based attractions e.g. those based on IPs from the BBC, perhaps in a Motiongate type set up where different areas are based on different companies/studios. As for the current plans, until they are submitted to the government then they can be easily adapted and modified. However, due to the development having the Nationally Significant Infrastructure Project status, the plans which are submitted need to be extremely detailed and there will not be the scope to change and amend them once approved (unlike with plans submitted to local councils where developers can apply for amendments after approval). This means that when the plans go in we should know what range of rides we will be seeing, even if they don't yet have IPs for them all.

I read that on the way back from The Warner Bros Studios... :lol
But that is a good point made, on one hand you have an obviously successful IP you could use but it would make the london studios vistor number drastially drop, a way they could use it though is if they were to use the Fantastic Beasts brand instead but that would stop any FB developments at the Warner Bros Studios which, and after seeing the FB sets for next years film today(I'll make a seperate post about that soon), I would be a shame to not see the FB sets. 
However if the Universal rumoured are to be believed, The Decipicable Me brand and the upcoming Nintendo Land would probably come to the park. 
I personally think however, that we could see a Motiongate Style park as Motiongate has a Dreamworks area, And with Dreamworks being owned by NBC Universal, just that LER could be looking into Dreamworks brands.

[Ladyofthelake]

Unfortunately today has seen the announcement of a further delay to the project. As reported by SouthParks News, the next set of consultations will now take place in early 2018, meaning the Development Consent Order won't be submitted until Spring 2018. This also means that the developers have once again pushed back the proposed opening date for the project with the new date being set to 2023 - a total delay of 4 years from the original 2019 planned opening.

It would seem that despite developers' best intentions this project just keeps getting pushed back. As much as I want to be optimistic, it's looking less and less likely that this is going to happen which is a real shame  

[Chris]

We need to stay optimistic. There are more frequent updates on the project than there has ever been before, which is encouraging.

[Owen]

I think Universal would be fairly likely, and Harry Potter would very likely be part of this. Yes the Studio Tour exists but they're completely different experiences. That being said I'd think Diagon Alley would be more likely as this way the castle would still be exclusive to the tour. It should also be noted that Universal and the tour work very closely with one another, esspecislly during the Celebration of Harry Potter events.

It really depends if Universal want to compete with Disneyland Paris, and I'd imagine they'd have a pretty good chance of having a big impact on DLP and the UK parks. It would be a very big deal.

That being said there have been other companies popping up supposedly interested in the site, so who knows what the final outcome will be :P

[Burniel]

I'd agree that Universal is a possibility. Not letting myself get my hopes up because the idea of having Universal-level rides just an hour from me is overwhelmingly amazing. I think a collection of other companies is more likely than Universal to be honest, but I can dream.

I genuinely think this place will get built in some form, albeit less grand than the original plans and maybe slightly later than 2023. I guess we'll just have to keep our fingers crossed and keep our eyes peeled.

[Alex]

The rumour has come from Themeparx.com, will be interesting to follow to see if there is any substance to it

http://www.themeparx.com/universal-studios-london/

[Owen]

Something to point out is how there are a  few companies listed for ride manufacturers. These include companies involved with Kang and Kudos Twirl N Hurl, Revenge of The Mummy, Harry Potter and The Forbidden Journey and Harry Potter and The Escape From Gringotts...

[Robert.W]

I would be slightly doubtful on an exclusively named Universal Studios London since LRCH already have deals with the BBC. Would Universal want to open a park also filled with IPs they do not own? I personally think it is more likely that we will see themed lands based around either individual IPs or the main Studios involved with the resort, with the park coming under a more generalised name like the Motiongate park in Dubai.

[Owen]

Would Universal want to open a park also filled with IPs they do not own? I personally think it is more likely that we will see themed lands based around either individual IPs

That's essentially what Universal is...

Studios only contains 4 IP's owned exclusively by Universal - the rest are from other companies. Whereas Islands only contains 1 IP exclusively owned by Universal. In fact there are more Warner Bros. properties in IoA than solely Universal.

An all Universal park could lead to a mixture of Despicable Me and Fifty Shades of Grey which sounds... interesting to say the least... 8-[

[MakoMania]

Lol! My only thought is that having a Universal park here may detract somewhat from the appeal of Universal parks in Florida to UK tourists.

[jackf1tz]

They're still be getting the money from them though, and if they can get a taster of universal in the UK, their visitors might want to go to Hollywood or Orlando to experience even more!

[Burniel]

Lol! My only thought is that having a Universal park here may detract somewhat from the appeal of Universal parks in Florida to UK tourists.

Families don't tend to go to Florida exclusively for Universal though. The appeal of such a large Disney Resort with different attractions to Paris (which they may or may not have visited), alongside SeaWorld, Busch, and Universal all contribute to a family's desire to holiday in Florida. Also, speaking on behalf of my GP family, a big draw for them with Florida was the weather, lifestyle, scale etc, which you couldn't get from a Universal park in the UK. Basically, the desire to go to Florida is unlikely to decrease all that much, and people aren't likely to skip Universal in Florida when they're there purely because "we have one in London".

There's also the inevitable size difference. If London Entertainment Resort does become Universal (and I'm in no way convinced that it is just yet), we're looking at a big difference in scale between the two Resorts. If a family went to Universal Studios London and decided it was great, they may even be more likely to visit the bigger and (let's face it) better one out in Florida.