The CEO of The London Resort has stepped down from his position, as the troubled project now plans to submit a "significantly" changed planning application next year.
PY Gerbeau, a former vice president for EuroDisney and later chief executive of the operator of London's Millennium Dome, has served as CEO of London Resort Company Holdings since 2019. His departure marks the latest setback for the project, which withdrew its planning application earlier this year. [See our post from then for the details: Planned London Theme Park Resort Hits Another Snag.]
As we wrote then, "Originally announced a decade ago as London Paramount Resort, the development has had a history wilder than most thrill rides, losing then gaining then losing IP partners, while also navigating the 'and then something went terribly wrong' bureaucracy of planning approval in the UK."
Designed to occupy the Swanscombe peninsula east of London on the Thames River, The London Resort now faces competition from an alternate plan for the peninsula, which would see this officially-designated "Site of Special Scientific Interest" transformed into a wildlife and nature preserve.
When the resort withdrew its application in March, Gerbeau said that the resort would file a new application by the end of this year. The resort has missed that deadline, but the chairman of London Resort Company Holdings has told local media that the project will undergo "further financial restructuring."
Steve Norris, who was the UK's Transport Minister under former Prime Minister John Major, also said "we will be changing the proposals significantly, but remain wholly committed to delivering in Swanscombe."
For a look at what the London Resort most recently had proposed, please see our post, Flying Coaster to Lead The London Resort's Dinosaur Land.
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The original concept art looked amazing (too good to be realized) and would have buy me a ticket to London to add this to my visit.
If anything it is going to happen it will be watered down beyond recognition and won't be worth a visit (for me).
Having read the proposals, concepts, developments and redevelopments from the onset I have always questioned the sagacity of the location and never thought it would see the light of day because of it. Kent is akin to At World's End for the vast majority of English, let alone the rest of the UK. It's planned location in Kent is a massive bottleneck and would need huge road and transport infrastructure investment to make it accessible. I hope the park does get green-lit but it needs to be somewhere else in England, preferably in the Midlands which has the best motorway network.
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To be honest I've always thought it would never go ahead. Regardless of all the planning difficulties etc. I think there is a major access issue with this location. Road and transport links in that area are already busy so there would have to be substantial changes. But most siginificantly, the location east of london means it would be a big hassle for most UK residents to get to it. Maybe they are trying to aim for trade from europe on the eurostar train, but I just don't believe that market would be siginifcant enough. I think most people coming to the Uk want to see London and beyond - not a theme park, and it would never draw many people away from Paris Disneyland