It’s been confirmed that building work is to finally begin on the new theme park resort dubbed “the UK’s answer to Disneyland” early next year.
The building of The London Resort will commence from 2022 – when the planning application for the project is expected to be accepted – and despite meeting some opposition from locals after the area was designated as a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) due to the local wildlife, the park’s CEO PY Gerbeau said that everything would be “going ahead as planned”, according to The Sun.
And if it all goes according to plan, the first park could even open to the public in 2024.
The London Resort – which is set to take shape in Swanscombe, Kent and is just 17 minutes by train from London St Pancras station – has been in the works for the past eight years, with initial concept plans having been outlined back in 2012.
News of the first plans and blueprints for the £3.5 billion project were released in December 2019, and the latest plans were released back in July last year.
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The building of The London Resort will commence from 2022 / Credit: The London ResortIt would be the first park of its kind to be built from scratch in Europe since Disneyland Paris in 1992 / Credit: The London Resort
If those newly-released plans – dubbed ‘the evolved masterplan’ – are given the green light to go ahead, The London Resort would be the first park of its kind to be built from scratch in Europe since Disneyland Paris in 1992, and PY Gerbeau said the industrial site would be “transformed into one of the most exciting destinations in the world”.
According to the plans, The London Resort will include four hotels, dozens of rides, attractions, entertainment, eSports and conference venues, all across two theme parks.
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The London Resort has partnered with the BBC, ITV Studios, Paramount Pictures and EDF Energy, and is being split into half-a-dozen themed areas – The Studios, The Woods, The Kingdom, The Jungle, The Isles, and The Starport.
It’s aiming to become the “most sustainable, major theme park destination in the world” / Credit: The London ResortIt will be three times larger than any other park in the UK / Credit: The London Resort
The park will also be working with three British firms – Electrosonic, Garmendale and Katapult – with another 65 in the running, as it’s aiming to become the “most sustainable, major theme park destination in the world”.
Mr Gerbeau added that they’re keen to “celebrate British innovation and technological wizardry” as they build “the first theme park across Europe to be built from scratch in nearly 30 years”.
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When complete, The London Resort will be three times larger than any other park in the UK and span across 535 acres – the equivalent of 136 Wembley Stadiums.
Featured Image – The London Resort
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Tyson and Paris Fury reveal baby name – and it’s a touching tribute
Daisy Jackson
Tyson Fury and his wife Paris have revealed the name they have given their newborn baby, and it’s a beautiful family tribute.
The beautiful baby boy, who was born 18 September, is their seventh child together.
Today, in an exclusive with OK! Magazine, Paris Fury confirmed that they’ve settled on a name for the tiny new addition.
He is called Prince Rico Paris Fury, but will be known as Rico.
His name is a tribute to Tyson’s cousin Rico Burton, who died after being stabbed outside a bar in Altrincham.
Heavyweight boxer Tyson said at the time that there needed to be higher sentences for knife crime after the death of his cousin, saying: “Life is very precious and it can be taken away very quick, enjoy every moment.”
The baby’s middle name is a tribute to his mum Paris, 32, who has become a national treasure through their Netflix series At Home With The Tysons.
Paris said of the photoshoot: “I love this photo of his beautiful newborn smile. Love all the photos from this shoot.”
At the time of Rico’s birth, a delighted Tyson wrote: “He’s here and he’s perfect @parisfury1.”
All of the Fury’s sons share the same first name of Prince, with Tyson saying: “I’m a king and they’re princes until they earn their rightful name.”
Their other children are Venezuala Lynda, 14; Prince John James, 11; Prince Tyson II, seven; Valencia Amber, five; Prince Adonis Amaziah, four; and Athena Amour, two.
Tyson Fury, originally from Wythenshawe, married Paris in 2018 after they met as teenagers.
Footage of Old Trafford’s roof leaking labelled a symbol of Glazers’ neglect by Manchester United fans
Danny Jones
To add insult to injury following a fourth defeat in seven games this Premier League season (five in all competitions), footage of the Old Trafford roof leaking onto supporters’ seats mid-match has gone viral as fans are labelling it a symbol of the Glazers’ much-maligned ownership.
The clip in question was taken on Saturday, 30 September during Manchester United‘s 1-0 home loss to Crystal Palace — the same side they had beaten 3-0 in their previous Carabao Cup fixture — and shows fans sitting in the Stretford End having to grin and bear it as water drips all over them.
Old Trafford has received some renovations over the past couple of seasons, but they were mainly related to the installation of the digital ticket system, replacing doors after the infamous fan protests saw them invade the stadium, and updating the scoreboard with live added time — which pretty much every other team has also been given this season.
However, despite the stadium’s leaking roof having already been raised as an issue by fans in recent years, it would appear that there have been little to no repairs made, as these lot unfortunately found out first-hand.
A member of The Manc office also sits around this section of the stadium and often has to tend with occasional rainwater falling on him.
As you can imagine, social media was filled with Reds clearly disappointed but by no means surprised, commenting, “Scandalous this… The Glazers are using this club as their personal bank but no funds being spent on maintaining the roof”, “this is a disgrace”; “How embarrassing! Yet our club is somehow worth multiple billions. Pathetic”, and countless other replies to a similar effect.
Many have also noted that they had or are still experiencing similar in various other areas around the ground: “had the same in K stand last season, “same in the South stand”; one person even shared a video of a leak from inside the concourse (not the first time such footage has been shared).
Another went so far as to remark: “Unbelievable, all that success under Fergie and they seem to be light years away from being a modern club. When you compare to [Real] Madrid you have to question why [Man United] have seemingly been left behind to rot. I can see ‘the rise and fall of utd’ coming to cinemas soon.”
While safe-standing in the ground was increased back in July ahead of the new campaign, a large chunk of those seats were installed in the away end, so most fans elsewhere in the ground will likely never see the benefit and those who attend week in, week out know all too well how outdated the stadium is.
Although the prospective United takeover has been stalled for months now after neither Qatari bidders nor Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s offers met the Glazer family’s asking price, both bidders cited redeveloping the stadium as one of their main priorities.
Emily Sergeant -
8th October 2021 
