Almost 90,000 letters have been sent out across Kent, UK, seeking the views of local households and businesses as plans to build the world’s fourth-largest theme park at nearby Ebbsfleet push forward.
The £2bn (US$3.3bn, €2.5bn) development was classified in May as a
project of national significance by the British government. As a consequence, the resort will benefit from an accelerated planning application process. In the year prior to submitting its application, London Resort Company Holdings (LRCH), the firm behind the project, has said it will engage with the local community during a four-part consultation process.
Four public exhibitions are scheduled to take place this month, and the community has been asked to attend the exhibitions, ask questions and provide feedback to LRCH. According to the developer, these observations will flag up the issues on which local people want to be consulted.
“[We want to find] the most appropriate and accessible way for people to be involved in our proposals for the London Paramount Entertainment Resort,” said LRCH director Fenlon Dunphy. “The first stage of public exhibitions is specifically designed to establish the preferred communication and consultation methods of the local community and interested parties.”
The London Paramount Entertainment Resort, due to open 2018, will be built on an 872 acre (1.3sq m, 3.5sq km) site and will generate an estimated 27,000 jobs, making it one of the largest regeneration projects in Europe and the fourth-largest theme park in the world.
For those reasons, the government recognised it as a Nationally Significant Infrastructure Project (NSIP). NSIPs are major infrastructure developments, which can include major leisure, stadia and business schemes as well as power plants, large renewable energy projects and major road projects, which are considered to be of national importance.
Because of its NSIP status, the planning application will not be submitted to or decided by the local authority, but the government’s Planning Inspectorate.
