Friday, March 31, 2017

News: Gulliver's Valley Resort set to open in 2020

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Work will commence on the Pithouse West site now that planning permission has been confirmed for the £37m Gulliver's Valley leisure resort in Rotherham.

The planning applications for the family theme park next to Rother Valley Country Park in Rotherham have not been called in by the Government for further scrutiny, meaning that planning permission is granted subject to a number of conditions and the famil-owned business can purchase around 250 acres of the restored former colliery and opencast site from the Council.

The scheme is expected to be built over 12 - 15 years in a number of phases. Phase one includes the main Gulliver's theme park with three themed areas, the entrance hub and castle, and is set to open in 2020. A £1.2m transport improvement scheme is already underway in the area.

Julie Dalton, managing director of Gulliver's, said: "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 councillors voted unanimously in favour of our proposals. This is an exciting time in Gulliver's history."

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Cllr. Denise Lelliott, Cabinet Member for Jobs and the Local Economy at Rotherham Council, added: "This decision is the culmination of more than two years-worth of planning by Gulliver's, including the Council agreeing to sell the land for the development to Gulliver’s in 2015. We now look forward to seeing Gulliver’s plans being brought to fruition. As well as being a fantastic facility for local families, the Valley Resort will result in a massive boost to the area and our local economy. It will bring in visitors, provide jobs for local people, and complement the existing activities at nearby Rother Valley Country Park.

"This is a family-run business with a proven track record for building and operating family entertainment developments and we are very proud and excited that Gulliver's has chosen the borough in which to develop their resort."

The applications set out the economic benefits of the development which outweigh the harm to the Green Belt. The regeneration benefits are an estimated £36.66m overall economic impact from construction and total annual operating net economic impact on the local economy of £11.6m.

The resort will create up to 125 full time jobs and a total of around 325 part time jobs.

Gulliver's said it would look to use a local supply chain and will also build Gulliver's Service Academy, offering hospitality and visitor economy skills training, maximising potential employment opportunities for local people.

Gulliver's Valley website

Images: Gulliver's


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