UK’s first Universal Studios theme park with 500-room hotel and huge rides ‘to be given final green light in weeks’
THE first Universal Studios theme park in the UK is set to receive the final green light from the government in just weeks.
First revealed in 2023, Universal are hoping to build their first European theme park in the UK.
The project, which will be 45 miles from London, will plough £14 billion into Treasury coffers in tax revenue in the coming years.
It is understood that the MPs looking at the proposals have signed off already and a final decision about the site is due to be made very shortly.
Only the Treasury is now left to sign off on financial arrangements for the plan, The Mirror reports.
The county of Bedfordshire will be the home of the theme park.
Universal bought a 450-acre site in Kempston Hardwick, just out of Bedford, in December 2023.
The site will hold a 500-room hotel, entertainment zone, train station, and plenty of attractions – so there’s lots to look forward to.
There will also be new transport put in place as tourism in Bedford is bound to increase, including new rail routes to connect towns between Oxford and Cambridge, which are Bedford’s nearest cities.
Plans described Bedford as an “ideal location” due to its convenient transport links.
Bedford can also be easily reached via London, and with its central location, more than half of the UK population can be there within two hours.
Twenty thousand jobs will be created to build the attraction on a 476-acre site to help turbocharge the economy.
The project, which will be 45 miles from London, will plough £14 billion into Treasury coffers in tax revenue in the coming years.
Treasury coffers would be boosted by an estimated £35 billion to the economy when the Universal project is being built and for the first 25 years after its doors open.
Tourism Minister Chris Bryant recently told MPs: “I cannot enter into the precise details of the negotiations, but they are going well.
“I am hopeful that this will be absolutely transformational for the British tourism industry if we manage to pull it off.”
Mohammad Yasin, who represents Bedford in Parliament, recently said: “To have such a huge global brand like Universal Studios invest in Britain would be fantastic.”
As planning is still in the works, there’s no exact time frame we can expect Universal UK to be completed.
But the estimate is that the park won’t be open before 2030 and could take at least six years to build.
There are only five other theme parks across the globe, with none in Europe at the moment.
Universal so far have opened Universal Orlando Resort, Universal Studios Hollywood, Universal Studios Japan, Universal Beijing Resort and Universal Studios Singapore.
With Universal still waiting on permission, here are some other UK based theme parks to enjoy, like Diggerland and Milky way Adventure Park.
Alton Towers has a pirate takeover week during February half term and there’s Nickelodeon Land at Blackpool Pleasure Beach Resort.