England: New Family Park Resort for South Yorkshire
In South Yorkshire, on the site of the former Pithouse West colliery in the Rother Valley, a new family park resort will be built to open its gates in 2020. Recently, the Rotherham Council has granted planning permission for the project, which is being planned and directed by British Gulliver’s Theme Parks operating group. On an area of some hundred hectares, (250 acres) Gulliver’s Valley Resort will include a main theme park hub with rides and attractions, an indoor water play zone, a climbing center, a glades attraction and an education and ecology center encompassing forest “classrooms” and outdoor learning adventures for young children. The resort will also offer family-friendly accommodation in the shape of “glamping”, self-catering woodland lodges and a central hotel named “Lilliput Castle”. The main target group of the new destination are families with children aged two to 13 years.
Julie Dalton, Managing Director of the family-owned Gulliver’s business, commented: “After a good two years of hard work, it’s absolutely wonderful to know that our vision for Gulliver’s fourth UK theme park is going to become a reality. We’re all absolutely delighted. Throughout the planning process, I and my senior staff have taken part in several consultation events around the local area, giving local residents the chance to comment on our plans. We worked closely with Rotherham Council and Highways England to ensure our planning application did not negatively impact on local access routes and amended plans to reduce the visual impact of our larger attractions. It’s incredibly satisfying that local councilors voted unanimously in favor of our proposals. This is an exciting time in Gulliver’s history,” said Dalton.
The multi-million pound project is going to be a great boost for the local economy, creating around 255 new full-time jobs, according to Dalton. The development will also encompass “Gully’s Dream Village”, a community for children with life threatening illnesses. Besides the family entertainment offers, plans include nature trails, walks, outdoor gyms and woodland runs, which will be available to be used by the local community as well as by visitors to the theme park. (eap)
