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DCMS to reduce world heritage bids
Sea Life Adventure
'Fewer and fitter' UK heritage sites to be considered for future UNESCO status
completes £1m upgrade
The Sea Life Adventure in By Martin Nash
Southend-on-Sea, Essex, is set
to reopen later this week (13 The government has launched
February), following a £1m a competition to find more
redevelopment project. The cultural and natural heritage
aquarium's new flagship places fit to become future UK
attraction will be the Tropical World Heritage Sites. It plans
Shark Tank. Holding more than on putting forward fewer sites
195 tonnes of water, the tank for consideration by UNESCO,
will exhibit Black Tip Reef with a streamlined application
sharks and an array of other fish system to help ensure success.
from the Indo Pacific region. Local authorities and others
Visitors will be able to view the throughout the UK, plus the
fish by strolling through a Overseas Territories and Crown Stonehenge is one of the UK's sites to be recognised by UNESCO
perspex tunnel beneath the tank. Dependencies, will have the
opportunity to nominate such will be able to apply again for "But bidding for World
New attraction for
sites for assessment by an inclusion on the new list. Heritage status carries a cost,
London Dungeons
independent expert panel. A Culture minister Margaret and we want to be sure that
Merlin Entertainments will new 'Tentative List' of candi- Hodge said: "To be designated public resources are well
open a new attraction at its date sites will then be drawn up a World Heritage Site is a real deployed. In future, we want a
London Dungeons site near for submission to UNESCO in honour and a rare privilege. It process that ensures that only
London Bridge. The Bloody Mary 2011, with the first nomination can bring social and economic sure-fire winners with outstand-
Killer Queen exhibition will tell going forward from 2012. benefits to areas chosen, and ing universal value go forward.
the story of Mary Tudor, Henry Those on the last UK Tentative it's great for tourism, promot- This means we will make fewer
VIII's daughter and Queen of List, drawn up in 1999, which ing the profile of our cultural nominations, selecting sites
England between 1553 and 1558. have not so far gone forward and natural heritage to the from a new, shorter and more
The actor-led attraction will for consideration by UNESCO, world in an eye-catching way. focused list."
transport guests back to London
in 1556, the height of Mary's
reign, and is set to include a
Merlin unveils US Legoland plans
Living Legend
number of special effects.
plans resubmitted
By Tom Walker
Wells palace revamp
Revised plans for a housing
appeal launched
UK-based attraction operator development at St Peter, Jersey,
A new appeal has been Merlin Entertainments has which would result in the
launched to help raise £1.6m announced two ambitious new closure of the Living Legend
towards a major project at the attraction projects. attraction, have been submit-
Bishop's Palace and Gardens in Cypress Gardens theme park ted to the island's government.
Wells, Somerset, which dates in White Haven, Florida, US, Initial proposals for the
back to the early 13th century. which the group acquired in demolition of the attraction,
The scheme, which has received January, is set to be rebranded Legoland Florida is set to which boasts a karting complex
planning permission, has already as a Legoland attraction. open by the end of 2011 and two adventure golf courses,
secured more than £3m, The theme park, which had and the construction of 65 new
including monies from the closed in September 2009, will Meanwhile, Merlin is set to homes were first mooted last
Heritage Lottery Fund, grants undergo a complete redevelop- open its 11th Madame Tussauds summer due to a fall in tourism
from other trusts, the Church ment and will reopen as wax attraction, and the fourth prompting a need to find an
Commissioners and individual Legoland Florida in 2011. in Europe, at the Prater Park in alternative use for the site.
donors. Plans include a 'green' The park will become Vienna, Austria in early 2011. However, the States of Jersey
café, a community garden and Merlin's second Legoland site The £10m attraction will be announced on 20 August 2009
an outdoor theatre, as well as an in North America and, accord- designed to reflect the culture that plans would not be
activity, creativity and education ing to chief executive Nick of Vienna, housing around 70 processed until park owners,
centre in the Old Stable Yard and Varney, play an important role wax figures of famous Austrians the Lewis family, completed a
using the medieval undercroft as in the group's continued such as Sigmund Freud, Albert transport assessment and
a focus for the Palace's history. growth in the US. Einstein and Johann Strauss. provided further information.
10 Read Leisure Opportunities online
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