London Resort Company Holdings, the development vehicle driving plans for a £2 billion world class entertainment destination, has appointed Chris Townsend to the board as commercial director for the project where he will lead the fundraising drive for the entertainment destination on the Swanscombe Peninsula, North Kent. 

LRCH has signed an agreement with Paramount Licensing, the licensing division for Hollywood-based Paramount Pictures, to give exclusive UK licensing for a Paramount entertainment resort at the heart of the site.

During his six year tenure as commercial director for the London Organising Committee for the Olympic & Paralympic Games, Chris secured and managed over £2 billion of private finance for the Organising Committee and was responsible for all forms of revenue generation and procurement including sponsorship – leading a domestic sponsorship programme with 44 partners raising over £750 million; licensing programme involving 65 licensees generating £1 billion worth of sales, a £600 million ticketing programme and a £1 billion procurement strategy.

Prior to London 2012, Chris was group marketing director for Transport for London, responsible for the launch of the Oyster card.

Previous roles include Director of Interactive TV and E-Commerce at Telewest, and marketing director at BSkyB.

Commenting on the appointment, Tony Sefton, project leader for LRCH, said: “I am thrilled Chris is joining us.

“His appointment is a real coup, and is in line with our strategy of building a world class team led by the best in the business.

“His commitment, experience and unparalleled track record in bringing commercial success for major projects will be invaluable in driving the project forward.

“The London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic were a huge success.

“As the biggest regeneration project since the Games, we are delighted to have Chris on board.

“He played a key role in delivering an event which made the whole country proud and I believe this pivotal appointment is a real statement of intent for the project, representing a significant milestone in the journey to turn our vision into reality.”

In October 2012, LRCH unveiled plans to transform the 872 acre site at Swanscombe into one of the largest regeneration projects in Europe, creating up to 27,000 jobs and integrating the development into the local communities of Dartford and Gravesham. 

LRCH agreement with Paramount Licensing Inc to give exclusive UK licensing for a Paramount entertainment resort does not include investment from Paramount Licensing Inc in the project.

Negotiations are on-going with a range of major British brands to sign licensing agreements.

LRCH has already assembled a development team which includes Development Securities, a leading development and investment company, the principal land owner Lafarge, and super scale construction company Brookfield Multiplex.

At the core of the proposed development is Europe’s leading entertainment destination, with a Paramount-branded entertainment resort and leisure district providing the highest quality visitor experience.

The entertainment district will feature Europe’s largest indoor water park, theatres, live music venues, attractions, cinemas, restaurants, event space and hotels.