Gulliver's Valley theme park plans change due to pandemic

The coronavirus pandemic has forced operators of the new £37 million Gulliver’s Valley theme park in Rotherham to alter their plans.
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Gulliver’s Theme Park Resorts has applied for a small change to the planned accommodation at the 250-acre resort beside Rother Valley Country Park, just over the border from Sheffield, which is scheduled to open soon.

It wants to temporarily relocate around 40 lodges, or static caravans, to an area which which was originally intended to house glamping pods, and it has applied to Rotherham Council for planning permission.

The Ghostly Galleon ride at Gulliver's Valley theme park, which is scheduled to open in spring 2020 (pic: Gulliver's Theme Park Resorts)The Ghostly Galleon ride at Gulliver's Valley theme park, which is scheduled to open in spring 2020 (pic: Gulliver's Theme Park Resorts)
The Ghostly Galleon ride at Gulliver's Valley theme park, which is scheduled to open in spring 2020 (pic: Gulliver's Theme Park Resorts)
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The firm, whose three other resorts are closed due to the COVID-19 pandemic, claims the move will help generate the additional cash needed to keep the development of future phases on track.

It says it still hopes to open its latest venue in late spring this year, probably June, but that the current lockdown ‘risks adversely impacting on the Gulliver’s Valley development timeline of the project if steps are not taken to help increase the profitability of the enterprise in the period 2020-2025’.

“This proposal seeks to diversify the accommodation on offer during the early phases of the development,” states the planning application.

“The temporary planning permission sought is aimed to help the developer stay on track toward delivering the social, economic and environmental benefits expected to be realised as part of the wider proposals.”

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Julie Dalton, managing director of Gulliver’s Theme Park Resorts, said: “Approval has already been granted for our accommodation plans on the site which included three hotels, lodges and glamping units. However, we have recently applied for a small change which would see the temporary relocation of approximately 40 lodges into an area originally proposed for glamping.

“With regard to our opening, while we could never have predicted the current situation, we do have ample flexibility built into our schedule for unknown delays or disruption. Therefore, this existing downtime is currently not impacting on when we'll be opening the doors. If this changes in the coming weeks then we will, of course, keep everyone updated.”

Construction is currently paused at the site, which will eventually boast more than 70 rides and other attractions including a Lost World zone complete with animatronic dinosaurs.