The owner of the world-famous Pinewood film studios empire is said to be among the list of potential bidders for the £4 billion Center Parcs UK chain of holiday villages including Longleat Forest in Wiltshire.

Sky News reported that private equity firm Aermont Capital was expected to table an indicative offer for the chain of six upmarket holiday villages, which could cost a buyer more than £4 billion, ahead of Tuesday’s deadline for initial bids.

Aermont's interest adds it to a list including Singapore's Government Investment Corporation (GIC), which has teamed up with KSL Capital Partners, a private equity investor; and CVC Capital Partners, the buy-out giant.

Blackstone, Center Parcs UK's former owner, and Antin, an infrastructure fund, were also reported to be considering bids.

A spokesperson for Center Parcs UK said: "We don’t have anything further to add to this story."

Brookfield has reportedly appointed investment bankers to sound out potential buyers, including other private equity firms.

Center Parcs UK operates six holiday village sites in the UK and Ireland, including Longleat Forest near Warminster.

They attract more than two million visitors every year and are particularly popular with families as they offer a range of activities on-site.

They operate with an indoor waterpark as the central attraction and wooden cabins set in cycle-friendly forests and also offer outdoor activities.

Center Parcs UK has reportedly enjoyed buoyant trading since the lockdowns triggered by the Covid-19 pandemic.

Since 2015, the company has been owned by the Canadian private equity firm, Brookfield Property Partners, which put Center Parcs UK up for sale in mid-May.

Center Parcs UK is a separate business from Center Parcs Europe, which has holiday villages in Belgium, the Netherlands, Germany and France.

The European business is still owned by Blackstone Group which sold the UK part of the business to Brookfield in 2015 and may be bidding to buy back the UK Center Parcs.

The first UK location opened in 1987, at Sherwood Forest in Nottinghamshire. There are now holiday villages at Elveden Forest, Longleat Forest, Whinfell Forest and Woburn Forest.

In 2019, the business opened its first site in Ireland, with Center Parcs Longford Forest close to the town of Ballymahon in County Longford.