A DISUSED theme park in the UK is set to undergo a huge £65million refurbishment and be turned into a brand new holiday resort.
Since 2016, Pleasure Land in Cleethorpes, Lincolnshire, has been closed to the public, after dwindling visitor numbers caused it to go out of business.
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Many of the park’s rides were sold off, with the rest of the park left to fall into disrepair.
However, after eight years, Pleasure Land looks set for a new lease of life, after plans were revealed to convert the site into a holiday park.
The £65.9m redevelopment includes two hotels, with around 222 rooms and an on-site casino.
There will also be 272 holiday lodges, as well as shops including a Lidl, Costa with a drive-through and a garden centre.
The redevelopment of a leisure unit is also part of the plans, with an arcade games operator likely to take over.
Although not part of any formal plans, other mooted attractions have included a waterpark, adventure golf, laser tag and a planetarium.
Initially, there had been several issues raised regarding the construction of the holiday resort, including from the Environment Agency (EA) who raised a flooding objection.
However, that has since been removed, after developers added flood measures to their plan, including not using the lodges in winter, taking the park a step closer to its conversion.
The EA has stated in the planning application: “We have now reviewed the Technical Note and are satisfied that the additional modelling undertaken is appropriate.”
They aren’t the only plans for the park’s developers to overcome, with work not able to begin just yet.
Bird surveys have been undertaken by OS Ecology as part of the planning application and have revealed that the site is home to several bird species.
Meanwhile, Natural England are still against the development going ahead, claiming it could have “potential significant effects on the Humber Estuary Special Protection Area”.
For now, the plan remains listed as “pending consideration” on the North East Lincolnshire Council website.
It’s not the only theme park to have such plans, with Camel Creek Adventure Park in Cornwall also launching holiday accommodation after going into administration last year.
Use these tips on your next theme park trip
Next time you visit a theme park, you may want to use our top tips to make the most of your adrenaline-inducing day out.
- Go to the back of the theme park first. Rides at the front will have the longest queues as soon as it opens.
- Go on water rides in the middle of the day in the summer – this will cool you off when the sun is at its hottest.
- Download the park’s app to track which rides have the shortest queues.
- Visit on your birthday, as some parks give out “birthday badges” that can get you freebies.
- If it rains, contact the park. Depending on how much it rained, you may get a free ticket to return.
Plans revealed earlier this year included caravans, safari tents and glamping pods, as well as amenity blocks with showers and toilets.
The theme park was able to reopen in March with three new attractions, including pirate-themed adventure golf, a 7,000 square foot playground inspired by Merlin the magician and an indoor playground and cafe.
At the time, Graham Hayes, the park’s general manager, told Time Out: ‘These new attractions are part of an entire park upgrade. We can’t wait to welcome back members, Cornwall families and holidaymakers when we open at Easter.’
The holiday park plans put forward have more than 60 units, with 43 touring pitches, 14 glamping pods, five safari tents and four double en-suite units.
Meanwhile, this holiday camp was named the best in the country earlier this year.
And this £300m holiday resort with a waterpark and outdoor adventure zones is also set to open in the UK.
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