A businessman whose company is threatened with relocation has spoken of his opposition to the London Resort proposals in Kent.
Robert Arnold is the owner of Ace Car Breakers, a business located on the Manorway Business Park on the Swanscombe peninsular that is the site of the proposed resort.
The company is one of many who are now facing the prospect of mandatory relocation.
Compulsory Purchase Orders may also be made should the London Report receive planning permission.
The decision lies with the central UK government rather than local authorities due to the project’s large scale.
The government is widely expected to grant planning permission in due course.
Negotiations for the sale of land on which businesses are situated can only begin once the proposal has been formally approved.
‘Unimportant’
Mr Arnold has 50 employees working at his business, which was founded in 1978 and now being ran by a fourth family generation.
He has described his frustration over the long-running London Resort planning process, which he says has hampered investment in his business due to ongoing uncertainty.
In a letter to the government examining authority, he expressed his opposition to the plans.
“Since the [London Resort] project was announced in 2012, the estate here at Manorway has been blighted with this proposal hanging over us,” he said.
“I have been unable to develop and invest in my business as much as I would have liked because of the amount of time that this development has been hanging over me.”
Mr Arnold also said that businesses have also had trouble lobbying for the fixing of carriageway flooding and litter clearance due to the estate being “deemed unimportant”, as the land is earmarked for the London Resort.
Merlin Entertainments recently complained over how the consultation was being managed, arguing that substantial changes and submissions had not been appropriately scrutinised.