A secret compulsory purchase order may see as many as 175 Ellesmere Port homes bought up by the Disney Corporation to construct one of their Disney theme parks here in Cheshire. The plans for Disneyland: Ellesmere Port were recently leaked online amid objections from local residents.
The plans could see 175 Ellesmere Port home owners forced to sell their properties for pre-agreed market values as of 2008, just after the housing crash. This could lead to hundreds of families unable to afford replacement housing in nearby areas, including in the cheaper Birkenhead as that will see house prices soar once the plans are approved.
Ellesmere Port residents need not fear being made homeless however. Council leaders have formed agreements with two South Wales towns, Merthyr Tydfil and Port Talbot, where Ellesmere Port families forced to sell their homes will be able to afford similar housing.
The plans are still in the early stages, and there are two other sites in England and Wales also under consideration. Stoke on Trent and Rhyl are the other two proposed sites for the new Disneyland, but Stoke on Trent is considered the outsider because of its proximity to Alton Towers.
Ellesmere Port is believed to be the favourite location due to the agreed low compulsory purchase order price, and its access routes already in place due it being a tourist destination for Cheshire Oaks, Blue Planet Aquarium and Chester Zoo.
Chester residents are said to be in favour of the plans as it will see their property prices increase by as much as 50% in the first two years.
Locals were said to be shocked at the recent closure of Chester’s Disney Store, but the plans for Disneyland: Ellesmere Port offers an explanation as to why the Chester store closed its doors – Disney is getting ready to move the store to Ellesmere Port, the site of its new flagship European theme park.
To find out if your home is included in the proposed compulsory purchase order, visit the council’s website here.
Should any Ellesmere Port residents wish to oppose the plans, they can contact their local council and do so here.
Finally, the Bugle understands that should these plans be approved the theme park would not be called Disneyland: Ellesmere Port, but instead would be named Disneyland: Chester.
