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Controversial London indoor penguin enclosure set to close in 2028. By Emily Beament, Press Association Environment Correspondent Published 20th Oct 2026, 10:35 BST A colony of gentoo penguins held at Sea Life London Aquarium will move to a bigger venue with fresh air in Birmingham. A controversial exhibit housing gentoo penguins in an indoor enclosure in London without access to fresh air or daylight will close in the next two years. The owners of Sea Life London Aquarium said they would start work in 2027 on an "enhanced" enclosure at the National Sea Life Centre in Birmingham to combine the colonies of gentoo penguins currently housed in the two venues. The birds are expected to move into their new home in 2028, and the gentoo habitat in London will close, Merlin Entertainments said in a statement. It comes after a high profile campaign by Freedom for Animals, the Born Free Foundation, the Daily Express Newspaper, MPs and members of the public urging bosses to provide better conditions for the penguins. Campaigners at the Born Free Foundation welcomed the news of the move to a bigger and environmentally enriched enclosure, saying "common sense and compassion have prevailed". Talks between the owners, campaigners and experts began in December last year after 75 MPs joined animal welfare activists calling for the release of the penguins "trapped in a basement without sunlight or fresh air" at the riverside aquarium just a short walk from Parliament. Earlier this year, Merlin Entertainments said it would merge the 14 penguins in the London site with the 17 housed at their Birmingham facility into a single colony with a new habitat that has natural light and more water space. It has also committed to end the breeding of gentoo penguins at its UK facilities. Now it has announced more details on moving the birds into a new habitat, created with input from an expert in wild penguins, which will be much bigger and benefit from natural light and seasonal variations. In a statement, the company said the enclosure "will provide a dynamic and complex environment with seasonal variations both above and below the water for the animals, reflecting aspects of natural weather conditions". "There will be land and water areas which are anticipated to be double the size of those in the existing London habitat, along with a longer pool. "In addition, an expanded 'deep end' of the pool will be created, offering over three times the space currently provided in both London and Birmingham." The company also said the facility will take steps to become a research centre to identify ways to support gentoo conservation in the wild. It will shortly submit formal plans to the local authority and, subject to approval, work will start in 2027. The penguins are expected to move into their new home during 2028, with exact timings guided by the needs of the penguins, with the space at the London venue repurposed to support Sea Life's conservation priorities, the company said. Dr Mark Jones, head of policy at The Born Free Foundation, said: "It has been quite a journey. "From the much-criticised basement environment in London to a significantly expanded and environmentally enriched enclosure in Birmingham - but nearly a year of careful and thoughtful discussion has paid off. "Because of Merlin's commitment to end breeding, this will be the last generation of gentoo penguins in Merlin's care. "Common sense and compassion have prevailed, the welfare of the penguins has been prioritised, and Born Free looks forward to continuing to engage with this project to help deliver the best possible outcome for the birds." Will Travers, executive president of Born Free, added that the end to further breeding or imports of the penguins - which are not threatened with extinction in the wild - will mean no more individuals will be born into a life of captivity and the current birds will be the last gentoos in Merlin's facilities. Laura Walton, co-director, Freedom for Animals welcomed the closure of the enclosure. She said: "Throughout our joint campaign, we called for the penguins to be moved to a sanctuary or facility with outdoor access, but sadly no feasible option was identified. "While the planned improvements at Sea Life Birmingham are positive, these penguins deserve far more than a lifetime behind barriers. "Crucially, Merlin's landmark commitment to end breeding means no further generations of gentoo penguins will be born into captivity at its facilities."

Merlin and Mojang expand Chessington plans with Minecraft World Hotel. Merlin Entertainments and Mojang Studios have expanded plans for Minecraft World at Chessington World of Adventures Resort, confirming a themed hotel alongside the new theme park land planned for 2027. Minecraft World Hotel will become the first hotel based on the Minecraft franchise, adding an accommodation layer to the £50m project in Greater London. The hotel will feature almost 70 themed rooms across four floors, with 20 premium rooms and 49 standard rooms drawing on the game's biomes, characters, mobs, colours and textures. For theme park operators, developers and IP owners, the announcement is significant because it extends Minecraft World beyond a day-visit attraction. By adding hotel rooms, themed dining and bar concepts, Merlin is developing a resort-led model that can support longer stays, stronger yield and deeper brand engagement. Hotel design extends the game world. The hotel has been designed to bring Minecraft's visual language into physical space. Check-in areas will reference the Overworld with block-style trees and animals, while Nether Portal-inspired lifts and mine tunnel corridors will carry the theme through guest circulation areas. Bedrooms will use Minecraft's blocks, items, mobs, textures and colours to create themed accommodation for both dedicated fans and broader family audiences. The offer will also include an underwater-themed restaurant inspired by the game's ocean biomes and a potions bar themed around the Woodland Mansion. For visitor experience designers, the hotel highlights the importance of continuity across an IP-based resort. The guest journey does not stop at the park gate. Arrival, corridors, rooms, food and beverage, and evening use all become part of the same story world. This approach also creates new operational and commercial opportunities. Themed accommodation can support premium pricing, while restaurants, bars and retail touchpoints provide further ways to extend spend beyond the core attraction. Escape the Nether anchors the ride offer. Merlin and Mojang have also named the first Minecraft rollercoaster as Escape the Nether. The attraction is described as the world's first Minecraft rollercoaster and will include both indoor and outdoor elements. The ride will take guests through dark mines before moving through a Nether Portal and emerging into the Overworld area of the land. Timelapse footage has shown construction progress, with track now in place as the land takes shape. For the attractions sector, the ride is notable because it translates Minecraft's digital environments into a physical thrill format. The indoor-outdoor structure gives designers scope to combine controlled media, scenic work and story sequencing with visible ride kinetics in the land. Gaming IP moves further into themed entertainment. Minecraft World represents a major step in the use of gaming IP within European theme parks. The franchise has strong global recognition, an established creative language and a large intergenerational audience, making it well suited to location-based entertainment. Mojang's creative team has noted the challenge of adapting Minecraft into a new physical medium, particularly around scale, biomes, blocks and mobs. Merlin's production approach appears focused on keeping the world recognisable while making it practical for rides, hotel operations and guest movement. For IP holders, the project underlines the value of close creative collaboration with operators. Translating a game into an attraction requires more than placing familiar visuals into a venue. It requires decisions about behaviour, interaction, environment, scale and narrative flow. Relevance for the visitor experience sector. The Chessington development will be closely watched by theme park operators, suppliers, designers, hotel groups and licensing teams. It combines several key industry trends: gaming IP, resort expansion, immersive accommodation, themed dining and family-friendly coaster development. For Experience UK's audience, the project may create future opportunities across scenic fabrication, AV, lighting, show control, themed interiors, operational planning, retail and hospitality design. By pairing Minecraft World with a themed hotel, Merlin and Mojang are positioning the project as a multi-day branded experience rather than a single attraction. As work continues ahead of the 2027 opening, Chessington is set to become an important case study in how major gaming franchises can be developed into resort-scale visitor destinations.