Jumping Spider shelves Disneyland £3.5billion plan
The London Resort, a state of the art theme park touted as the UK’s answer to Disneyland, has suffered another setback after the BBC and ITV dropped out of the £3.5 billion project due to a rare jumping spider
Plans for the London Resort (which would actually be located in Kent) have been in the works for years but the project has been dogged by problems.
Nature activists and spider lovers have consistently opposed the proposed 1,150-acre (465-hectare) London Resort, on the Swanscombe Peninsula which was due to be the biggest in the UK, as they said it would damage wildlife habitats in the area.
And the most vulnerable of these species is a rare jumping spider only found in one other place in the UK, reports the MailOnline.
In the UK, the spider’s only other habitat is the West Thurrock Marshes in Essex.
The news comes as a hammer blow to the ambitious development which was set to include attractions from some of the most popular BBC TV shows, including Doctor Who, Top Gear, and Sherlock.
The theme park, which was projected to make over £50 billion in its first 25 years, was also due to feature rollercoasters and a “prehistoric nature-reserve” with dinosaurs.
And as nature lovers criticised the two broadcasters for the development being in “direct conflict” with their environmental credentials, the pair seemed to budge.
A spokesman told the MailOnline: “BBC Studios has no commercial agreement in place with London Resort and no current plans to enter into any agreement.
“We would only consider doing so should there be clear and decisive evidence that the project would have a net positive environmental impact.”
An ITV spokesman added: “ITV’s arrangement with the London Resort was that we were a potential licensor of one of our children’s brands, which was Thunderbirds.
“We can confirm that ITV no longer has a commercial arrangement with London Resort as the agreement has now ended. This means that Thunderbirds will not be a part of the park.”
Since the BBC and ITV pulled out, the London Resort has also broken cover and confirmed their development plans are still going ahead.
A spokesperson for The London Resort said: “Nobody ever said major infrastructure projects were easy or quick. We look forward to delivering the first top tier theme park for the UK.”
