New details emerge about £213,000,000 UK theme park
The site is a 15-minute drive from the main town centre of Bedford.
A proposal for Europe’s largest theme park could bring in more than £50,000,000,000 of economic benefits for the United Kingdom.
The proposed theme park in Bedford would be open 365 days a year, built on land bought in Bedford for £213 million in August 2023.
The 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.
Now, Universal Destinations and Experiences, owned by Sky’s parent company Comcast, has said it plans to build the largest theme park in Europe fit with a 500-room hotel and dining area.
The site 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.
The money generated by the theme park, jobs created and more is expected to top more than £50 billion – £35.1billion during the construction period and first 20 years of operation, and £14billion generated from taxes in the same period.
More than 20,000 jobs could be created during the construction period.
The new park would take roughly six years to build, but Page Thompson, Comcast’s president of new ventures, said: ‘I can tell you it’s going to be a world-class park with all experiences that people will love based upon the most popular films, video games and stories that people have enjoyed for decades.
‘We’ve spent the last decade looking all over Europe and the United Kingdom for locations, and we think this is the best location we’ve ever seen.’
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 in December last year: ‘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.’
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