Park bosses still ‘pressing ahead’

Bosses behind a proposed £5 billion entertainment resort say they are still pressing ahead, after revealing the mastermind behind the plans has recovered from coronavirus. Pierre-yves Gerbeau is tasked with delivering the London Resort theme park on the Swanscombe Peninsula, between Gravesend and Dartford.

The French entrepreneur honed his craft at Disneyland Paris but is best known for salvaging the Millennium Dome.

Challenges lie ahead for the London Resort chief executive as the project, which had originally planned to open this year, has been parked until at least 2024. No work has yet commenced on the project’s site first announced in 2012 as bosses iron out crucial components, including upscaling the existing road infrastructure.

A planning application has now been pushed back from its original Spring date until at least October. Theme park bosses suffered a setback when Mr Gerbeau contracted Covid-19. Director of communications Andy Martin confirmed the 54-year-old has since recovered.

“It knocked him out for a couple of weeks,” he said.

“But he was propped up in bed with an ipad getting the show on the road.”

The London Resort has struck deals with the BBC, ITV Studios to lend naming rights to rides and attractions, as well as Paramount Pictures which rejoined the project after an initial u-turn. Mr Martin added theme park bosses were holding Zoom calls with concerned parties and fine-tuning their plans. Changes to the application timetable were agreed in advance, he added, with considerations such as the planned works for the A2 near Ebbsfleet, and the ongoing Lower Thames Crossing proposal factored in. “What we’re in the process of doing is we are talking with local authorities about what public consultation looks like in Covid-19,” he said.

“It is too early to say what the impact of Covid-19 will be on the industry.”

Pierre-yves Gerbeau