Plans have emerged for a £37 million theme park to be built on the site of a former coal mine in South Yorkshire.
Gulliver’s Theme Parks is working towards regenerating the 135-hectare Pit House West site and creating a new family resort.
The company, which runs three UK parks, has bought the site from Rotherham Council.
Up to 255 full-time equivalent jobs will be created at the new resort in addition to employment during construction, according to the company.
Plans for the new resort include a theme park hub, woodland adventure centre, ecology and education centre, ‘glamping’ and woodland lodges, a hotel and holiday village.
The first phase of development will be the theme park hub and associated areas, taking around two years.
This will comprise a mix of rides, attractions, shows and experiences for children, plus ancillary attractions such as Splash Zone and Nerf Zone attractions already popular at other Gulliver’s parks.
Gulliver’s already operates theme parks at Matlock Bath, Warrington and Milton Keynes, catering to families with children ages two to 13.
The new South Yorkshire ‘Gulliver’s Valley park will eventually combine all the entertainment elements found across its existing parks.
The development of the Pithouse West site is planned to be “sympathetic, retaining and enhancing large areas of existing woodland as attractive elements of the resort”.
Gulliver’s managing director, Julie Dalton, said: “We’re really excited at the prospect of realising our dreams at Gulliver’s Valley and reproducing all the best elements of our existing three UK parks together on one site.
“We want to create a ‘whole park feel’, with nature trails, walks, outdoor gyms and woodland runs which can be used by our guests and the local community alike. Plus of course, the family theme park hub, which will be developed and operated in line with our core value of providing great value family days out that are big on fun.”