The highly-anticipated London Resort theme park has withdrawn its plans to build the site in Kent.
Dubbed the UK's answer to Disneyland with an estimated cost of approximately £3.5billion, the resort's plans include a theme park, e-sports arena, hotel and music venue, all at one site on the Swanscombe Peninsula in Kent.
In an exclusive sneak preview image of the theme park, we counted EIGHT large rollercoasters alongside a helter skelter, log-fume ride and carousels. The resort had also shared a sneak peek at the dinosaur-themed land due to be part of the resort.
Earlier this year the resort had announced a revised opening date for 2025.
However, the company's CEO PY Gerbeau has confirmed that the resort's application is currently being withdrawn.
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He said as part of a statement: "In the best interests of the London Resort, we are withdrawing the current application; as a result of the classification of Tilbury as a Freeport which has meant revisions are required in moving the ferry terminal from Tilbury to Grays. We are working closely and collaborating with Thurrock Council on that matter."
It comes as the resort already faced a hurdle last year when Natural England designated the Swanscombe Peninsula a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI).
As a result of both the classification of Tilbury as a Freeport, and the SSSI designation, Mr Gerbeau said that the company has "acquired significant land holdings as part of our mitigation strategy combined with our commitment to spend £150m on environmental improvements on the peninsula".
He added: "These changes are considered material and as such require withdrawal and resubmission."
However, there is still plenty of hope for thrill-seekers who were getting ready to add the resort to their bucket list, as the company is looking to resubmit a fresh DCO application by the end of this calendar year. Mr Gerbeau said that the project would continue to work with the local community and authorities, saying that the London Resort is "still 100% committed to this amazing project".
You can find out more on londonresort.info.
Of course there are plenty of other UK theme parks for thrill-seekers to enjoy in the meantime with classics such as 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.
For families with little ones, we've also put together a round-up of the best UK theme parks for toddlers including the likes of Paultons Park, home to Peppa Pig World.
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.
What do you think about the London Resort? Let us know in the comments below.
