Merlin Entertainments has announced that work has begun on the Woodland Village at LEGOLAND Windsor. The holiday village is set to be Merlin’s first operationally carbon neutral accommodation and will open in spring 2024.
With 150 lodging lodges included in phase one of the development, the £35 million LEGOLAND Woodland Village will draw thousands of UK and foreign tourists to Windsor, where they can enjoy time spent together in the midst of nature.
A family entertainment area, an on-site restaurant, brick-building activities, and story time areas will also be located within the 10-acre site, which is built around the Resort’s woodland area and lake. Additionally, there will be nature trails featuring a variety of animals made out of LEGO bricks.
A significant milestone
Helen Bull, divisional director for LEGOLAND Windsor Resort, was accompanied by Merlin Entertainments COO, John Jakobsen, MP for Maidenhead, Theresa May, and Council Leader, Andrew Johnson, along with her life-size replica DUPLO spade to celebrate work starting on site. She said:
“Breaking ground on LEGOLAND Woodland Village is a significant milestone in the history of one of the UK’s much-loved family entertainment theme parks. Our vision to create the first LEGO-themed Woodland village is an innovative way of demonstrating how LEGOLAND Windsor Resort will continue to meet the growing needs of our guests and will be a major economic boost for the local area providing high-quality and sustainable tourism for the future.”
Jakobsen added: “Today’s announcement for LEGOLAND Windsor acts as a blueprint for future accommodation sites, we may create in the other nine LEGOLAND Parks we have globally. Merlin Entertainments have a clear focus on moving to becoming a leader in our industry for carbon neutral location-based entertainment.
“We have been working actively to implement and maintain sustainability across our LEGOLAND Parks, as well as our other hotels and attractions. We continue to review our working methods, procedures and purchasing, to enable us to establish our overall objective to help ‘build better’ and make the world a more awesome place for future generations.”
Carbon-neutral accommodation
Johnson said: “We are delighted that Merlin Entertainments has chosen to make this multi-million-pound investment here in the Royal Borough, made possible by the Council’s 2018 decision to approve these plans.
“Our recently adopted ‘Vision for Windsor’ is clear that world-class attractions such as LEGOLAND Windsor Resort have an important role to play in drawing tourists to this corner of Berkshire. This additional visitor accommodation will enable families to stay longer locally, giving them time to enjoy much of what Windsor has to offer as a thriving and welcoming town.
“We recognise the significant benefits that this development will bring to the Royal Borough, not least in terms of the additional jobs and apprenticeships which will be made available for local people.”
Once complete, The Woodland Village’s operational energy will be free of fossil fuels, making it the first operationally carbon neutral lodging Merlin Entertainments has ever created. To do this, Merlin Entertainments and LEGOLAND Windsor will collaborate with The Carbon Trust to create a solid carbon reduction strategy that will use low-carbon technologies, energy-efficient practices, and high-quality offsets.
Last year, Merlin Entertainments appointed Scott O’Neil as its new CEO. He replaced Nick Varney, who retired after 23 years.
The LEGOLAND Windsor Resort reopens for the 2023 season on 17 March.
Images: Merlin
