A computer generated image of the Paramount entertainment complex on Swanscombe peninsula

by business editor Trevor Sturgess

A proposed Disney-style resort in north west Kent that promises 27,000 jobs is using London 2012 as a role model.

Several business chiefs from LOCOG, the team that organised the widely-admired Olympic and Paralympic Games, are expected to join the blockbuster project for film giant Paramount Pictures on Swanscombe peninsula.

Tony Sefton, managing director of Vision XS, a leisure consulting firm that has advised on strategy for the animal parks at Port Lympne and Howletts, told KentOnline the Olympics were a role model in terms of customer service, range of food, planning, and volunteers - or Games Makers.

"We will be looking for people with a smile on their face, people who like to deliver," he said.

Mr Sefton worked with cement giant Lafarge, Development Securities and Brookfield Multiplex to set up London Resort Company Holdings to deliver the scheme, which has won backing from local councils, Locate in Kent and VisitKent, but remains subject to planning permission.

The Paramount park will follow the Olympic Park model

Mr Sefton said funding for the £2bn entertainment resort should not be a problem.

The Olympics had generated a high profile for the UK and investors were keen to build on this legacy.

"There is a dearth of projects for people to invest in and we're not having any trouble [raising finance]," Mr Sefton added.

He was convinced the scheme, which could be completed in 2018, would transform Kent tourism and the economy, offering huge opportunities for business.

"Kent will be a major player in the world. You've got the supply side, everything from metal bashing to bread rolls."

It would also attract clusters of businesses, creating many more jobs, he added.