New theme park, hotels & leisure resort

Project Description: Redevelopment of a former colliery site to theme parks, petting zoo and leisure resort including ecology centre, hotels, wedding chapel, education centre and guest accommodation.

Project Status: Under Construction (Phase 2)

Leading on all aspects of the planning process and co-ordination of project consultants, we have advised Gulliver’s Theme Park Resorts since 2016 on obtaining permission for and building out of their £38million theme parks, ecology centre and circa 380no. units of guest accommodation. The site, Gulliver’s Valley, is currently in its second construction phase and employs more than 600 local people, of all ages.

Situated on a 101 hectare site of a former open cast coal mine in Rotherham. Located in the adopted green belt, we have assembled and progressed planning applications for the redevelopment. This has included co-ordination of Environmental Statements under the Environmental Impact Assessment Regulations and supervision of all project consultants, amendments of Section 106 Agreements and Variations to the permissions.

Notable developments include a castle hotel and a 25metre tall observation tower which required consultation with Historic England regarding potential visual impacts on the Grade II* listed church of St John the Baptist. Additional consultations included, The Coal Board, Network Rail, the Environment Agency, Natural England, Yorkshire Water and the Sheffield Wildlife Trust.

Due to the nature of the application, it was referred to central government’s National Planning Casework Unit as a Departure to the development plan. The decision was duly ratified and permission granted.

Following approval, we also negotiated and obtained adoption of a Local Development Order (LDO) which grants a series of deemed planning permissions across the different phases and areas of the site. This enables Gulliver’s to erect ancillary buildings, rides and associated developments (including renewable energy developments), as well as constructing new extensions of up to 30% of volume of the approved buildings. The LDO was adopted in 2017 and updated again, by Agreement with the LPA in April 2019.

Latterly, in 2024, the scheme was amended to include Skills Street, an immersive and hands-on, education, curriculum learning, skills and recruitment centre co-founded by Gulliver’s Valley Resorts and The Work-Wise Foundation. Skills Street features 15 different interactive sector zones, each co-designed by brands and businesses, highlighting their industry roles, skills needs, and routes into employment, allowing young people to see different futures by experiencing different opportunities. Skills Street is due to open in spring 2025.

In total, we have prepared and submitted 9 formal planning applications for the site, all of which have been approved by the LPA. We concurrently instructed almost a dozen consultants on the project, including: an illustrator (building design and theming detail), archaeologist, landscape architect, ecology and biodiversity specialists, drainage engineers, air quality and highways consultants, geo-environmental scientists (contamination, ground gas and coal mining risk), topographical surveyors, structural engineering and building regulations compliance advisors.