Universal Studios reveals plans for its first UK theme park
Universal Studios has earmarked land in Bedford for its first attraction in the UK.
The Hollywood giant confirmed it has already bought a huge section of land for a new theme park – though the location is somewhat unexpected.
A spokesperson told Sky News: ‘We recently acquired land in Bedford and are at the early stages of exploring its feasibility for a potential park and resort at this site.
‘It will be many months before we are ready to make a decision to proceed and we look forward to engaging with all relevant stakeholders and the local community.’
The new site is a 15-minute drive from the main town centre of Bedford and is near the Kempston Hardwick railway station – the least used station in the county – and Luton Airport.
It was previously a brickworks and after its demolition was completed in 2021, the area was earmarked for 1,000 new homes.
More than half of the population in the UK live within two hours of the location, and it is just 45 minutes away from London.
Rides at the Universal Studios attractions celebrate successful films created by the group including Jurassic World, Fast & Furious and Despicable Me.
The theme parks also feature areas dedicated to popular franchises such as Harry Potter and Super Nintendo.
Universal Studios Bedford would be the sixth resort by the company – after Hollywood, Orlando, Beijing, Japan and Singapore – and would also be larger than the Hollywood attraction, which covers 415 acres.
Mayor of Bedford borough council Tom Wootton told the BBC: ‘The suggestion of a major business investment is of course positive, nevertheless these are early days and much detailed work is required before any decisions are made.
‘We very much welcome and are excited by the interest from Universal and the immense potential for it to be transformative for the borough.’
The news follows the scrapping of plans for ‘the UK’s answer to Disneyland’ last year.
The London Resort was a £2.5 billion project intended for the Swanscombe Peninsula in Kent, but bosses withdrew a request for planning permission on environmental grounds in 2022.
The project was first announced in 2012 and was expected to be a rival to Disneyland Paris.
It proposed to offer hundreds of shops, restaurants, hotels and ‘immersive’ worlds like jungles, woods and castles.
Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@metro.co.uk.
For more stories like this, check our news page.