Center Parcs wants to build a new £400m holiday park just 90 minutes from Portsmouth

Center Parcs has announced that it wants to open a new £400m holiday park about 90 minutes away from Portsmouth.
This is what a stay at the Centre Parcs could look like. Picture: Centre ParcsThis is what a stay at the Centre Parcs could look like. Picture: Centre Parcs
This is what a stay at the Centre Parcs could look like. Picture: Centre Parcs

The company has identified a site near Crawley, West Sussex, to open the new attraction.

It would be the sixth Center Parcs site in the UK.

In a statement online, the company said: ‘We have secured an option agreement to acquire 553 acres of woodland off Balcombe Road in Worth, West Sussex.

‘The forest has been chosen because of its location (to the south of London) and its excellent transport links.

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‘The development is expected to cost between £350m and £400m and will create around 1,500 permanent local jobs once operational, as well as around 1,000 jobs during construction.

‘We anticipate the development would add an additional £40m to the local economy each year.’

According to Google Maps the site off Balcombe Road in Worth is around an 84 minute drive from Portsmouth – just under an hour and a half.

Center Parcs says that it hopes to submit a planning application in 2022.

CEO Martin Dalby said: ‘It’s really exciting to have identified a potential site for another Center Parcs village in the UK.

‘Today’s announcement marks the first step of a long journey, and there is still a huge amount of work to be done before we can submit a planning application.

‘The proposal we will be submitting will create a significant number of jobs and bring major benefits to the local and national economy.’

A message from the Editor, Mark Waldron

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