Disneyland-on-Thames: With 50 rides, a fairytale castle and 5,000 hotel rooms, it's the £3.5 billion mega theme park in Kent to rival Mickey and Co
- Paramount London is set to rival the Disney resorts in Florida and will be the first of its kind in the UK
- The 872-acre park will feature a 2,000-seat theatre, more than 50 rides and attractions and a huge nightclub
- Will draw on Paramount movies, such as Iron Man and Titanic, as well as BBC shows and Aardman Animations
- Investors claim the park, due to open in 2022, will bring in up to 40,000 visitors a day and create 33,000 jobs
With a fairytale castle, magical processions and rollercoasters whizzing about on the skyline, you could be forgiven for thinking the scene was in Florida.
But instead, the setting for this £3.5billion theme park which promises to offer ‘the glamour of Hollywood with the best of British culture’ will be on the banks of the Thames.
Paramount London, which will sprawl across 872 acres, could welcome visitors as early as 2022 at a price of £57 per day.
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Set near Dartford, it will have 5,000 hotel rooms and 50 rides including water attractions such as log flumes as well as a 1,500-seat theatre hosting West End shows.
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Rides and attractions could be based on films produced by Paramount including Titanic, Star Trek and Mission: Impossible, but the company said yesterday it was too early to say which blockbusters would feature.
BBC Worldwide, Aardman Animations and the British Film Institute have signed an agreement with the park meaning British creations such as Doctor Who and Wallace and Gromit could be among attractions.
Mock-up images of what the park will look like show an entrance lined with Union Jacks and grand white pillared gates with water features on either side.
In a variation on Disney’s Magic Kingdom, its focal point will be the ‘Myths and Legends castle’.
London Resort Company Holdings, the group behind London Paramount, appears to have drawn inspiration from gigantic theme parks such as Walt Disney World and Universal Studios.
It is likely to be a rival to Disneyland Paris – although the British weather may scupper some of the planned outdoor activities.
These will include a daily carnival procession and a boat cruise through ‘Paramount Port’.
The park will bill itself as a resort style destination which could welcome visitors from around the world.
The construction of the theme park is likely to cause chaos in East London and North Kent for several years – and traffic jams for long afterwards.
It will be next to the Bluewater Shopping Centre, which already causes static traffic on nearby roads, especially through the Dartford Tunnel. But those behind the project hope a large proportion of visitors will come by train or even by water taxi down the Thames.
There are also plans for a shuttle to and from Ebbsfleet International, a stop on the Eurostar route. If proposals are approved, construction could start as early as 2019 with 40,000 visitors expected daily. Some 27,000 new jobs have been promised.
LRCH chief executive Humphrey Percy said: ‘Our catchment area means there are 41million people within four hours and we’re targeting them but not just once, we want them to come again and again.’
London Paramount is currently in discussions with local residents over the layout of the site and has adapted proposals according to feedback from those living nearby. The park would be built on brownfield land and plans describe a ‘green network’ to protect local wildlife as well as walking and cycle paths along the Thames.
WHAT FILMS CAN WE EXPECT AT THE MULTI BILLION DOLLAR PARK?
There is no indication yet as to which of Paramount's films might form the basis of any of the theme park's attractions.
However, with such a huge library of films it has produced, co-produced or has distribution rights for, it could include any number of hit films to bring visitors flocking.
The Indiana Jones series and Transformers, both distributed by Paramount, would be provide ideal themes for rides too.
In particular the mine chase from Temple of Doom could offer an experience similar to Disneyland's Thunder Mountain runaway train.
To appeal to younger visitors, the park's creators could well look to 2010 hit How to Train Your Dragon for inspiration, and a Top Gun style flight simulator can't be out of the question.
The production company has any number of horror movies it can incorporate into a ride with a fear factor, such as the Friday the 13th series.
The agreement with the BBC means programmes such as Doctor Who and Top Gear could feature in lands, rides and games across the new park.
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