Kuwaiti-owned $3.6bn London theme park outlines new plans ahead of 2024 opening

The developer behind plans for a $3.6 billion Kuwaiti-owned theme park due to open near London in 2024 has revealed new concept artwork for the attraction.

The London Resort, which was launched in October 2012 by the London Resort Company Holdings (LRCH) and is being backed by the Kuwaiti European Holding (KEH) Group, is located on a 535-acre site on Kent’s Swanscombe peninsula, just 17 minutes on the train from Central London.

The park has signed partnership deals with the BBC, ITV Studios and Hollywood studio Paramount Pictures for themed rides and attractions.

Four visuals have been released showing the latest plans for the park.

We are creating a first-class theme park. A destination that maximises all the new, immersive and interactive technologies and experiences in the world,” PY Gerbeau, chief executive of London Resort Company Holdings (LRCH) said in a press statement. 

“But we won’t just be creating a world class leisure destination, it will also be one of the most sustainable theme parks on the planet.”

The park will be built in phases with the first phase opening in 2024 and the second within five years.

The London Resort will also include six themed lands.

The entrance to The London Resort will be via a grand plaza that leads visitors and hotel guests through The High Street, which will contain shops, restaurants, hotels a convention centre and waterpark. 

The Studios is described as a gritty, modern-day warehouse district packed with fast-paced action rides.

The Woods will be “an enchanted realm where springtime reigns eternal and the boundary between reality and fantasy dissolves” and will contain attractions from bedtime stories, fables and fairy tales.

The Kingdom will be an immersive realm of swords, sorcery, dragons and legend, The Isles will feature giant creatures, mythical beasts and adventure rides, while The Jungle will be themed around ancient ruins of a mysterious long-lost Mesoamerican civilisation.

The last area will be called The Starport and will be a futuristic 23rd century landing zone themed around science-fiction adventures described as “out of this world”.

The park was originally set to start construction in 2016 but this has been delayed due to structural and management changes in recent years.

“There will be a further round of consultation on the project later this year. Subject to planning approval, construction will begin in 2021 and the first phase of the London Resort will open to the public in 2024,” a park spokesperson said in May.

LRCH estimates the park will create around 3,500 hotel rooms and over 30,000 jobs for the local community.