Huge theme park dubbed ‘UK Disneyland’ delays opening until 2025

The London Resort dubbed a ‘UK Disneyland’ has delayed its opening date until 2025 due to ongoing hurdles including its Kent location being designated a Site of Special Scientific Interest

Theme park fans will need to wait a while longer before exploring the London Resort, dubbed the ‘UK’s answer to Disneyland’.

Originally planned to open in 2024, the resort has confirmed that it will be revising its opening date to 2025.

So far we’ve had a sneak peek at a dinosaur themed land and a fly-through video of the resort – and most recently, we’ve had a first look at the epic castle that’s sure to be a hit with thrill-seekers.

The London Resort has shared an artist’s rendering of the huge castle, which looks to be medieval-themed, and appears to boast some cool features such as lava waterfalls and a fire-breathing dragon.

In the new teaser image on its official Twitter page you can also see what looks to be a thrilling rollercoaster in the background, which will no doubt be a key part of the land in the resort.

(We’ve actually got a wider guide here with everything we know about the new attraction so far).

The resort is set to be built on the Swanscombe Peninsula in Kent, approximately the size of 136 Wembley Stadiums.

The project has faced hurdles along the way due to the pandemic, while last year Natural England designated the Swanscombe Peninsula a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI).

In a letter sent in late November to the Infrastructure Planning Inspectorate, the resort’s CEO PY Gerbeau said that following the decision there would not be “material changes” to the resort’s application, but instead there will be “subtle changes in the green infrastructure strategy”.

He described the SSSI designation as an “erroneous” decision, but noted statements from Natural England and said that the resort would work “to agree how we avoid or mitigate impacts upon the features of the SSSI, and other features of biodiversity interest present, and how we compensate for those impacts which cannot be avoided or mitigated”.

Meanwhile, as part of its ‘to-do list’ shared on Twitter, the company has said it plans to update its Development Consent Order (DCO) documents in 2022.

Although you’ll have to wait a bit longer before checking out the London Resort, the good news is that there are some great theme parks in the UK already including classics like Legoland, Thorpe Park, Alton Towers and Chessington World of Adventures.

In fact, we’ve got a guide to finding cheap UK theme park tickets that may come in useful for a budget day out in 2022.

Or for something further afield, we’ve also got guides to Orlando’s biggest parks including how to find cheap Walt Disney World deals and cheap Universal Orlando deals.

You may also want to bookmark our Theme Parks page which we regularly update with news about upcoming rides and attractions, new theme parks, and deals we think you’ll love.

Sign up here to receive the Mirror’s travel newsletter in your inbox with travel news, holiday ideas and deals.