The arrival of spring and the
prospect of a revival in visitor numbers to theme parks and other family
attractions is encouraging developers to invest in some significant new leisure
schemes around the country.
Often linked to regeneration and ‘levelling-up’ projects, these schemes are
also generating significant new construction contracts.
They are also contributing to the health of the hotel & leisure sector
where Glenigan figures show project starts rose by 23% in the three months to
January compared to the period a year earlier making it the only major work
category to show an increase in new activity.
One of the largest theme park construction developments in the sector, The
London Resort on the Swanscombe Peninsula near Tilbury in Kent, is set to get
underway this summer. Contractors have yet to be named for the huge £3.5
billion scheme which involves a floor area of 27,500 sq m and will include two
theme parks with retail and dining facilities, four hotels with up to 3,550
rooms and a link road to the A2.
Detailed plans have been submitted and Farrells and Buro Happold are among the
consultants on the project, where work is expected to run for 35 months
(Project ID: 12327258).
Moving north a planning application has been approved on the first phase of
the Blackpool Central Masterplan, an ambitious £300 million project designed to
revive the fortunes of the holiday resort. Funding has been secured and
construction work is due to start this month on a 1,300-space multi-storey car
park (Project ID: 21240435).
Detailed plans have also been drawn up for a heritage quarter at Blackpool
with an artisan food hall and space for outdoor dining. Meanwhile, plans for
future phases include three entertainment centres, a hotel, and restaurants
(Project ID: 18427922).
Further up the Lancashire coast, a planning approval was granted last month
for the £125 million Eden Project North in Morecambe Bay, a north country
version of the well-known eco attraction in Cornwall. It will involve
shell-shaped pavilions and two restaurants and assuming government funding of
£70 million is forthcoming, the scheme’s backers have a target date to open in
2024.
Across the Pennines, the Sheffield Ski Village Development is gathering pace
with the city council set to spend a further £200,000 on site investigation and
clearance work. Construction work on the scheme which will include a 48-acre
sports, leisure, and entertainment complex at the Parkwood site, is pencilled
to start in 2025 and run for 25 months (Project ID: 05079236).
Proposals for smaller leisure and theme park schemes are also creating scope
for construction contracts. In the London catchment area, detailed plans have
been granted and tenders returned for a £10 million holiday village at Merlin
Entertainments’ Legoland Windsor Resort. Work on the scheme, involving 65
semi-detached lodges, is set to start later this summer with completion due for
early 2024 (Project ID: 19299760).
Meanwhile, in East Anglia, detailed plans have been submitted to redevelop a
former deer park with a £4.83 million extension to the Norfolk Dinosaur Park
theme park. It will include a ‘volcano feature’ along with various
infrastructure works, and construction work is set to start early next year and
run for six months (Project ID: 21299227).
