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London Entertainment Resort: All Discussion

rob666 said:
Any sign of the fat wallet to pay for it all then?
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I’m sure they’ve thought it all through. KEH have said they’re funding it for at least the initial stage of development, and the company’s CEO said that he “couldn’t wait to personally open the facility in 2024” in a previous news article, so I don’t think financing is the primary worry at the moment.

The examination is set to last 16 months, so I guess we’ll have to wait and see what the results of that are. I’m intrigued to see what excitement is within the planning documents in a few days’ time!
 
Funding will always be the sticking point and definitely will affect this project if it goes ahead. I still don’t think anyone has honestly worked out the true cost of this going towards, as pointed out earlier Disneyland Paris cost 5bn in 1992 that’s roughly 10bn with inflation so 3bn I doubt will even scratch the surface.
 
I think it's worth noting that Disneyland Paris was incredibly overdeveloped for when it first opened.
If it had started as just the park and the Disneyland Hotel it would have been more successful and probably cost several billion less.

I do think £3bn is an unreasonable estimate for this but Disney Paris is not the best comparison. What did Universal Studios Florida cost? Seems more like what this will be.
 
Nothing at all in the planning so far mentions the two events of the century...Brexit and the pandemic.
No evidence of finance has been given...they have no money, they are angling for it.
If London is to become serious about stopping money laundering, this thing is dead in the water.
Disney Paris was bailed out on at least three occasions to keep it afloat, there is no big backer for this project, I doubt even basic infrastructure will be put in place for at least a decade, then they will build a multiplex and business units for industry.
 
Getting planning permission isn't going to cost that much in the grand scheme of things, and they obviously have enough investment for that. I guess that they are hoping that once they do have planning permission it is able to attract much more substantial investment.

It is very hard to see that happening in the current climate.
 
Like many failed/never built parks they all applied for planning permission so I doubt it’s even a step forward just another tactic to try and tempt investors.
 
I’ll still reserve judgment until we actually see some ride hardware onsite and being assembled. Planning permission is a step forward, but at this point it will no doubt still be little more than seeking to reassure the investors who have already put hands in the pockets and attempting to attract further new ones.

As said before, the ill-faited Spanish resort still managed to make it to a groundbreaking ceremony and planting a few flag poles before it vanished into obscurity and was cancelled (with courts citing zoning and ecological concerns).

paramount-park-spain-58.jpg
 
It's worth noting that in their post announcing the plan going to the examination stage they thank their 'investor' as In singular.

So whoever is fronting this so far is just one person or one firm.

Like I said to get the new road, new ferry terminal, park, hotels and Disney village style retail outlets you're talking way more than 3bn. I think it could easily be double that.

I would love it to happen but unless this one investor is happy to sink 5 to 6bn into this I think it's pie in the sky.

There's a reason we haven't seen a brand new mega theme park resort in Europe built up from the ground since likes of Disneyland Paris n Port Aventura....they cost a fortune.

I still can't see it happening but I have never wanted to be wrong more.
 
12 - 18 months now to climb multiple hurdles. Kent wildlife already kicking up a fuss and local residents are voicing huge concerns over the traffic issues that already exist in the area without this resort.

Be amazing if they do get over all these hurdles but it does seem unlikely.
 
I’ve gone from thinking there is a chance, to thinking this is not going to happen. Just reeks of all previous major theme park projects in this country that have failed. No evidence of funding, objections from conservation groups and local residents highlighting traffic issues! I also find the timeline unrealistic, how is it possible start construction of one of Europe’s largest parks, for completion only two years later... it surely can’t be guest ready in that timeframe.
 
Connor98 said:
I’ve gone from thinking there is a chance, to thinking this is not going to happen. Just reeks of all previous major theme park projects in this country that have failed. No evidence of funding, objections from conservation groups and local residents highlighting traffic issues! I also find the timeline unrealistic, how is it possible start construction of one of Europe’s largest parks, for completion only two years later... it surely can’t be guest ready in that timeframe.
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I agree. If they do by some miracle get over all these hurdles and start construction...2024 opening seems very very unrealistic.

New roads, new ferry terminal plus all the work on the resort in 2 years? It seems very ambitious.
 
The chances of this ever happening do seem very slim, although there must be a small that we'll eventually end up with another Gullivers Land. That's what happened in Rotherham after a couple of other projects fell through.
 
A lot of people here thinking the residents or environmental concerns would actually be listened to by the current government.
 
To me, the chances of this project happening certainly seem better now than they did, say, 2-3 years ago. There was a time between about 2015/16 and 2018/19 where it just seemed as though nothing was really happening, loads of different IPs were backing out, the occasional delay was happening now and then, and Paramount even left in 2017. I still had a little bit of hope left, but I’ll admit the future didn’t look too promising for the project at that point.

But then all of a sudden, in about 2019, it seemed as though the momentum really came back with a vengeance. Paramount had signed back onto the project, ITV signed on, the team completely overhauled it with a new brand and completely new concepts, and they do seem to have been getting things done lately. The final round of public consultations, due for years since about 2015, finally happened in summer 2020, and the much touted DCO application, which was again hyped up for years but never seemed to come, has finally been filed and accepted. I don’t know about you, but to me, it seems a little strange that all of these promising things would suddenly happen in fairly quick succession after a multi-year lull in activity without something seemingly changing behind the scenes.

If you listen to the people behind the project, and read the environmental scoping reports and public consultations, it turns out that they have spent the last few years more productively than you’d expect; they’ve apparently done very in-depth environmental studies, and these have resulted in things like the scope of the project reducing quite a bit when compared to the original proposal.

Based on what’s been said, I can also conclude that the project has at least some degree of financial backing; PY Gerbeau referenced an “investor” in a quote recently, and the project has at least one confirmed investor in the form of KEH. I don’t know how far this investment will take them, but it’s certainly promising that there is at least some money lined up, in my opinion, and it could well be enough to take it to the finish line; you’d be surprised how rich some people are.

Now I’m not saying that I’m dead certain that the project will happen by any means. I’m trying to view things through a slightly more realistic set of eyes with this project after the backlash I received in the thread earlier this year; the park opening is still very much an if as opposed to a when, and I think anything can happen, especially with things like Brexit and the pandemic still functioning as very real hurdles to overcome. But I’m certainly feeling pretty hopeful that this project could end up defying your expectations and have something materialise.

Anything could happen between now and the end of the enquiry in 2022; I’m feeling cautiously optimistic that this story might eventually have a happy ending.
 
Swarm Chris said:
Bar a castle in the middle of the gate 1 site, these documents cover everything around the outside of gates 1 and 2.

Bonus item includes an indoor waterpark.
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Ooh, fun! I think a new indoor waterpark would be a brilliant thing for the UK; if it’s anything like Center Parcs’ water parks, then it should hopefully be a great place!

Also, Shawn from TPW has filmed a video about this, if anyone wants to watch:

One of the most intriguing things he said there to me was that he, like many of you, was sceptical about the financing aspect of it. But it turns out that he did some research and there is investment money available to them...
 
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