Plans for a theme park called 'British Disneyland' in rural Kent have been scrapped.
The London Resort Company first unveiled plans in 2012 to build a £2.5 billion attraction on 535 hectares of former industrial land on the Swanscombe Peninsula, near Dartford.
It would feature 50 rides, including eight roller coasters and several areas featuring medieval castles and an Aztec pyramid, along with a 2,000-seat theater and nightclub.
Architects dreamed it would be three times bigger than any other theme park in Britain, equivalent to 136 Wembley Stadiums.
The original location would have included a water park, a conference and convention center and an e-sports facility.
But the plans have collapsed and the multi-billion pound entertainment park will not be built.
The company has been embroiled in a dispute over a broken contract with entertainment giant Paramount.
A High Court judge has ordered the company behind London Resort Company Holdings (LRCH) into liquidation, Kent Online reports.
The park would be located in Kent, between Gravesend and Dartford
Billed as one of the most ambitious theme park projects ever in Europe, the London Resort is said to have been the first European development of its kind to be built from the ground up since the opening of Disneyland Paris in 1992.
The London Resort is said to have been home to several TV and film themed attractions. Above is an earlier mock-up of what the theme park could have looked like
Kuwaiti businessman Dr. Abdulla Al-Humaidi was the main driving force behind the plans for the theme park.
He previously told Kent Online that the project had ruined his life and destroyed his reputation.
Steve Norris, former Transport Minister in the 1990s, and former chairman of LRCH, described the park's failure as 'a tragedy'.
He told Kent Online: 'Abdulla and his family have poured millions into the project. Ten years after the project started, there is still no planning permission, which is a terrible reflection on our sclerotic planning system.
'I'm pretty sure one of the main reasons why funding from the Gulf dried up was because no one there could believe that the British government was sympathetic to the project when it still didn't have planning permission after so many years and so much money. '
In 2021, the plans hit a major hurdle when the site they wanted to build on was declared a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) by Natural England.
The plans were designated as a Nationally Significant Infrastructure Project (PSIP) and required a Development Consent Order (DCO) to proceed with the project.
But London Resort dramatically withdrew the plans just a day before the plans were due to be presented, citing environmental and transport concerns.
The very first close-up photos showed rides and attractions at the London Resort, dubbed 'Britain's Disneyland'. Renderings reveal the park's dinosaur land
Base Camp would have had two roller coasters, a large multimedia live show experience, a state-of-the-art simulator attraction, immersive fine dining and an 'active excavation site'
On Friday, the Planning Inspectorate awarded legal costs to companies that had worked on the DCO bid before it was halted.
Companies included Kent Wildlife Trust, Bugs Life, National Highways, Network Rail and Kent County Council, Dartford Borough Council and Ebbsfleet Development Corporation.
However, reports indicate that the companies owed money are unlikely to be reimbursed.
In December, a judge hammered the final nail into the park's coffin after a request from Paramount, which is owed £13.5 million.
Judge Sally Barber of the Insolvency and Companies Court ruled that the London Resort Company has ceased trading and “it seems unlikely that this will ever happen again”, according to The Times.
Judge Barber said there had been at least three “serious and irremediable” breaches by LRCH of its agreement to pay creditors.
Last year, the land earmarked for the theme park and the company that owns the land, Swanscombe Development LLP, were both put up for sale
The land consists of the former Swanscombe Cement Works, which closed in 1994.
An earlier map and statement released by LRCH showed how the park would have been split into different themed areas, taking visitors from the Middle Ages to the 23rd century
The Swanscombe Peninsula, Kent (pictured above) was designated a Site of Special Scientific Interest in 2021
The London Resort is said to have been the first European project of its kind to be built from scratch since the opening of Disneyland Paris in 1992.
The success of Disneyland Paris is a testament to the impact a global theme park can have on the economy.
More than 3,500 hotel rooms would be created along two ferry terminals – one on each side of the River Thames.
Politicians and local councils were optimistic about the project, hoping the resort would create more than 30,000 jobs – while boosting the economies of nearby Gravesend and Dartford.
A report on the economic contribution of Disneyland Paris shows that the attraction has added €68 billion to the French economy in the 25 years since it opened.
