Advertisement
Campaigners are urging the BBC to drop links to a £3.5 billion theme park dubbed British Disneyland over environmental fears.
The mega-attraction is earmarked for Kent marshland which just last month was declared a Site of Special Scientific Interest.
The BBC s Studios arm has joined ITV Studios and Paramount Pictures in agreeing to lend naming rights to rides and attractions at the resort.
But a petition calls for the BBC to scrap its involvement in the London Resort park, which will be the size of 136 football stadiums, saying it goes against its own environmental policy.
If plans go ahead, the resort will become the UK s largest theme park built on a former industrial site on the Swanscombe Peninsula in Kent.
The London Resort People in London and Kent have been hearing about London Resort, the UK s £5bn answer to Disneyland, for nine years, but what are the chances of the vision becoming reality. Dubbed one of Europe s most ambitious theme park projects ever, the plans have been enough to get thrill-seekers excited. The park will be three times larger than any other in the UK when completed, bringing together a thrilling global entertainment destination full of Hollywood-themed rides, hotels, ferries, e-Sports facility and a Waterpark. Since 2012 the proposed theme park has seen its fair share of bumps and hurdles, from sponsors pulling out, budget issues and most recently an environmental battle.
Everything we know so far about UK Disneyworld The London Resort
The London Resort faces challenges to meet its current deadline
First look at The London Resort set to open in 2024
Get the What s On newsletter for the best shopping deals and things to do in 2021Invalid EmailSomething went wrong, please try again later.
Sign up now!
When you subscribe we will use the information you provide to send you these newsletters. Sometimes they’ll include recommendations for other related newsletters or services we offer. OurPrivacy Noticeexplains more about how we use your data, and your rights. You can unsubscribe at any time.
Marshes, pasture and reedbeds beside the Thames where developers want to build a theme park has been listed as a site of special scientific interest (SSSI) in recognition of its rare and diverse insect life. The decision by Natural England to recognise the national importance of Swanscombe Peninsula, which is home to 1,991 species of invertebrates, more than any known site in the country, was welcomed by campaigners hoping to save the partly.
Conservationists have welcomed protection for a “wildlife haven” close to the M25 but warn it could still be at risk from a planned theme park development.
Swanscombe Peninsula in Kent has been designated a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) for its grassland, scrub, wetlands, grazing marsh and saltmarsh habitat which is home to an array of wildlife.
The peninsula on the Thames hosts more than 1,700 invertebrates, including the critically endangered distinguished jumping spider, breeding birds such as marsh harriers, reed warblers and bearded tits, and nationally rare plants.
Government conservation agency Natural England also said the 250-hectare (620-acre) site, which lies between the M25 and Gravesend, is important green space for people as well as wildlife.