Currently there are 8 Legoland parks in the world, although a ninth has now been confirmed for the former Caterpillar site in Gosselies, near Charleroi. In a press conference on Tuesday morning, Minister-President of the Walloon region, Elio di Rupo, said construction would go ahead on the site, which closed in 2016 and has been empty ever since.
Last March, the Legoland project had already been raised as a possibility for the site, despite delays caused by the coronavirus crisis. Minister of the Economy Willy Borsus said the park remained a “priority project”, while the Merlin group, which owns the Legoland franchise, confirmed their interest in the site.
The park will be the second largest investment in Wallonia in the last decade, once the project concludes.
There are eight other Legoland parks in the world, situated in Billund, Denmark, where the Lego head office resides, as well as in California, Florida, Malaysia, Dubai, England, Japan and Germany. The future park in Belgium, located near Charleroi, would therefore be the closest to the Grand Duchy, at just under two hours’ drive away.
The project is set to take place in two stages of construction, and will occupy almost all of the former Caterpillar site. It is expected to cost between 370 and 400 million euros and it is thought it will create over 1,000 new jobs in the region.
The park is expected to open in 2027.
