THE size of 136 Wembley Stadiums, it was to be the UK’s answer to Disneyland and three times larger than any other theme park in the country.
Artist’s impressions promised at least six roller coasters, themed fantasy lands and even a giant fairytale-style castle, all squeezed onto a peninsular jutting into the Thames Estuary near Dartford, Kent.
It was to be surrounded by 3,500 rooms in plush hotels, swanky restaurants, and even two brand new ferry terminals, bringing hope that the project could sustain 33,000 local jobs.
To say that the £2.5billion plans were ambitious would be an understatement.
But after being announced in 2012, the theme park became bogged down in a planning and legal quagmire that dragged on for thirteen years.
And despite the magical promises from CGI mockups and developers, for people in the area the saga has been anything but a fairytale.
With no desire to invest in much-needed improvements only for them to get bulldozed, businesses under its shadow feel they have been “left to rot” in favour of a proposal that could barely get its feet off the ground.
Even the Kuwaiti businessman behind the scheme, Dr Abdulla Al-Humaidi, said the park had “destroyed” his life.
This week, “Dartford Disneyland” – as it was dubbed by some locals – was finally pronounced dead after the company behind it was ordered into insolvency by the High Court.
And much of the blame for the project’s demise lies with the discovery of a tiny rare spider just 1cm long.
A spokesman for LRCH, the company behind the project, said: “The dream of the London Resort has been ended by the courts.
“Natural England fatally wounded the scheme, a single creditor has killed it and, with it, any chance of the UK competing on the envisaged scale of London Resort.”
Broken dreams
But while many are breathing a sigh of relief, others described the axing as a “kick in the nuts” – a sorry end to a bold plan that never saw a single spade hit the ground.
“Everyone was up for it at first. Then the rug got pulled from underneath and no one wanted to spend any money,” said Gavin Raycraft, a car dealer based on the land that was set to be built on.
“But we’ve had ten years of decline – no one wanted to spend any money and then get turfed out.”
Snack van owner Joe Smith, 37, also witnessed the devastating impact of the now-binned project.
“It’s just a forgotten wasteland out there,” he said.
“It used to be lovely – now it’s just a place people come to dump cars. Sadly it’s just a godforsaken hellhole that’s been left to rot.”
Originally named Paramount Entertainment Resort, the park was set to feature Mission:Impossible and Star-Trek attractions as part of a licensing deal with the studio.
Partnerships were even announced with Aardman Animation – the team behind Wallace and Gromit – and the BBC, with hopes for Doctor Who and Top Gear-themed rides.
Many local firms welcomed the idea with open arms.
Some even changed their name to include “Paramount” in their titles.
Others were hopeful the area would have benefited from new infrastructure and jobs created – not to mention a brand new place to take the kids.
But it wasn’t long before things went pear-shaped.
In 2014, the district council was slammed by locals after sending nine senior staff on a £15,000 tax-payer funded “fact-finding” trip to a string of Florida theme parks.
The council leader at the time, Cllr John Burdern, defended the trip saying it would be “extremely busy” and “packed with serious business discussions”.
To all the naysayers and doom-mongers, the London Resort is going ahead, as planned
P Y Gerbeau
Three years on, there still wasn’t a hard hat in sight.
Then, in 2017, Paramount pulled out of the deal, plunging the plans into chaos – but the developers pushed on, now with an expected opening date of 2023.
All the while, companies in the area were counting up the costs with their future on the site in as much uncertainty as ever.
Spider sabotage
Parachuted in to save the project was theme park guru and Millenium Dome-saviour P Y Gerbeau – long nicknamed “The Gerbil” by the press – and Paramount were brought back on board.
Despite delay after delay prompting many to question if it would ever go ahead, bosses behind the scheme finally submitted plans to the Government at the start of 2021.
“To all the naysayers and doom-mongers, the London Resort is going ahead, as planned,” Gerbeau proudly declared in October that year.
Only a year later, he had resigned.
The plans had long faced backlash from nature lovers keen to preserve the local habitat.
And it was the discovery of the distinguished jumping spider that drove the nail into the masterplan’s coffin.
Measuring only 1cm across, the endangered critter is found in only one part of the UK.
But its discovery meant Natural England could designate the area as an SSSI – making planning approval nigh-on impossible, and prompting BBC and ITV bosses to cut their ties with the theme park.
Uncertain futures
Four months later, the planning application was withdrawn but locals continued to suffer.
Businesses on the land were long under threat from being issued a compulsory purchase order should the park go ahead, which could have seen them turfed out with as little as three months notice.
Firms were unable to secure long leases, unsure where they would be at the end of the year.
All of a sudden they pulled the plug – it was a bit of a kick in the nuts really
Mark West
Others put off repairs and expansion thinking their spending would be wasted.
Mark West, director of local accident repair shop Barney Sands, is one of those.
“We didn’t actually want to repair any of the units. The office got in such a mess because we were holding out.
“Then all of a sudden they pulled the plug – it was a bit of a kick in the nuts really.
“It’s not even a relief it’s over, because the estate is in such a state because in some way there’s no going back.
“We were all under the impression they were gonna bulldoze it, so what was the point of spending any money?” he added.
Mickey Helaith, 55, who runs All Auto on the opposite side of the road, was also angry that the developers dragged the project – and the uncertainty – on for so long after it became apparent that the project’s funding and planning approval was in jeopardy.
“We kept getting mixed messages. There’d be a rush, loads of consultants here, giving you leaflets, showing what the theme park was about, but nothing was actually confirmed,” he said.
“Then we hear it’s off. Then rumours are that it’s back on.”
He added: “We couldn’t expand, couldn’t move forward, couldn’t think about spending more money.
“It has been an uncertain time, for a long period of time. Even 18 months ago, a local estate agent said 100 per cent this is going ahead.
Employees were also left struggling with the possibility of losing their jobs should their workplace be forced out of the area.
George Preston, 20, an engineering apprentice at JMS Cranes, faced either a commute to Essex or having to quit his apprenticeship half way through.
“It was a bit of a shock really, not knowing what was going on, not knowing what the future would hold,” he said.
Timeline of London Resort
October 2012 – The London Resort is announced as London Paramount Entertainment Resort, to open in 2019
April 2013 – Discussion over development after discovery of a rare species of spider
May 2014 – London Paramount Entertainment Resort granted Nationally Significant Infrastructure Project status
December 2014 – Partnership with BBC Worldwide announced
March 2015 – Partnership with Aardman Animation and BFI announced
September 2015 – Opening date pushed back to 2021
November 2016 – Waterpark plans scrapped, opening date pushed to 2022
June 2017 – Paramount pulls out, with park renamed as The London Resort
September 2017 – Opening date pushed back to 2023, with estimated costs rising to £3.5billion
November 2018 – Opening date pushed back to 2024
April 2019 – Partnership with ITV Studios announced.
November 2021 – Natural England designates the area as a SSSI for nationally important invertebrates, breeding birds, plants and geology
March 2022 – Resort application is withdrawn
March 2023 – London Resort Company Holdings goes into administration
April 2023 – A Company Voluntary Arrangement (CVA) is agreed on
May 2023 – The transfer of a plot of land, considered a material change, occurred without prior notice to the CVA supervisor
June 2024 – Swanscombe Development LLP, the land for The London Resort, is listed for sale
October 2024 – Paramount tells the High Court that LRCH had not adhered to their obligations under the CVA
December 2024 – The judgement is published
New Year 2025: Further High Court hearings are scheduled to decide the fate of London Resort
January 2025: A court hearing will determine whether LRCH can enter administration
“Being an apprentice, moving to Essex would’ve been nigh on impossible to get there every day. It would’ve put me out of work.”
Other locals were sad to see the project scrapped, including Lee Ingram, 50, who runs a nearby estate agency.
He said: “It would have definitely been good for the area and especially its infrastructure.”
“I think they should put a golf course there instead,” he added.
Finger of blame
With the doomed theme park now firmly laid to rest, the blame game has now heated up.
The company behind the scheme, LRCH, had already racked up £100million in debts.
It was then sued by Paramount for breaching the terms of their agreement.
Many pointed the finger of fault at Dr Abdulla Al-Humaidi, the Kuwaiti businessman who had also previously been chairman of nearby Ebbsfleet United.
Doug Hilton, chairman of Peninsular Management Group, which brought together a number of the firms on the estate, decried the scheme as “utterly madcap”.
“It just goes to show that in fact the planning system has worked and how much chronic damage a naive young man with a lot of money can do,” he added.
In an interview with KentOnline, Dr Al-Humaidi revealed he has been unable to return to his homeland for fear of being imprisoned, after facing legal action from investors who have accused him of cooking up a “fictitious” project.
He resigned from the company’s board in 2022.
Dr Al-Humaidi added that the saga “destroyed [his] life”, ruining his reputation and leaving him bankrupt.
For the frustrated tycoon, blame lay squarely with this country’s “broken” planning system.
Peninsular Management group is now fighting to have the site returned to the control of local planning authorities.
The Sun has approached Dr Al-Humaidi for comment.
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