Derelict UK theme park could be transformed into luxury seaside resort

Plans to transform an abandoned theme park into a “Center Parcs by the sea” have been submitted to councillors in Cleethorpes.

The proposal to build a £70 million resort complex features 272 holiday lodges, a cycle hire building, a Lidl superstore and a drive-through coffee shop,

Two five-storey hotels, one with 58 rooms and another with 148 rooms, a conference centre and a casino, are also included in the plans.

According to developers: “The proposal comprises a major redevelopment of the former Pleasure Island Theme Park, including additional land to the north-east and south-east to provide a mixed-use retail and leisure development complex”.

The Pleasure Island theme park site has been shut for 10 years after closing its doors in 2016.

Developers say more than 800 jobs would be created in the construction phase of the 60-acre plot after what remains of the adventure park is demolished.

An application to regenerate the theme park was first submitted in January 2023, with environmental assessments and ecological impact reports then carried out following objections from residents and Lidl rivals Tesco and Aldi.

The proposal has been recommended for approval to the Local Planning Committee.

Case officers said the project would “support tourism in the local area but is diverse in its nature as to create an attraction for local people to enjoy, which also includes the retention of a key pedestrian route through to the beach”.

At a planning committee meeting on 8 July, North East Lincolnshire Council officials deferred a final decision on the complex due to a last-minute legal challenge from Tesco.

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