The man who secured £2bn of funding for the London Olympics has now been charged with raising funds for the Paramount-branded visitor attraction in Kent, which is hailed as Britain’s answer to Disneyland.

Chris Townsend has joined the board of London Resort Company Holdings, as commercial director for the resort on the Swanscombe Peninsula in North Kent.

Plans for the 872-acre site include Europe’s largest indoor waterpark, theatres, live music venues, attractions, cinemas, restaurants, event space and hotels. Brands such as Star Trek and Titanic will feature.

Townsend said to local press: “Post-Olympics it’s probably going to be the country’s biggest and most exciting regeneration project. The UK doesn’t have a destination on this scale. The UK needs big regeneration projects to kick start the economy and this will be a substantial tourism destination, not just for the UK, but for Europeans.”

He said most of the funding would be in place next year, triggering a planning application. The second phase of fundraising, from brands, ticketing and licensing, will take place once plans have been approved.

During his six years as commercial director at LOCOG, Townsend secured and managed over £2bn of private finance and was responsible for all forms of revenue generation and procurement, including sponsorship. He led a domestic sponsorship programme with over 44 partners, raising £750m.

Project leader for the development, Tony Sefton, said the appointment of Townsend was “a real coup.”