Across close to 500 acres of former brickworks just south of Bedford, Universal wants to build Europe’s largest theme park, bringing the mega roller coasters and high-octane experiences of Orlando and Hollywood to eastern England.
The US media group’s first foray into Europe could generate close to £50bn of economic value to the UK in its construction and operation over the first 20 years, according to Page Thompson, head of the new ventures arm of Universal Destinations & Experiences.
Talking for the first time in detail about the plans, Thompson said the company had long viewed Europe as an opportunity to build “one of the greatest theme parks in the world”, adding: “After searching for many years, we think we have found the right site in Bedford.”
The company has acquired almost 500 acres — a mix of former brickworks and farmland — with an option to take an extra 65 acres.
Space to expand is important to Universal: it often adds experiences and hotels to its sites over time in order to encourage people to return. “We think 100 years into the future,” said Thompson.
Thompson, who has already helped build theme parks in Beijing and Osaka, said construction investment alone would be “several billion pounds” but declined to give an exact number.
Comcast, the conglomerate and Universal’s parent company, is spending $6bn on areas based on film and video game franchises including Harry Potter, Super Mario and How to Train Your Dragon at Epic Universe, according to reports. The new theme park in Orlando is due to open next year.
Universal has five branded theme parks and resorts. At each, Comcast, which owns Sky in the UK, creates “experiences” around franchises: fleeing dinosaurs at Jurassic Park, or rides based on the Fast & Furious and Kung Fu Panda series.
Thompson said that while it was too early to say which franchises would be brought to the UK, the parks had unique elements, allowing people to visit each and find something different.
One common theme is horror — modern ghost rides and themed jump scares have proven popular — and Halloween will feature in its range of seasonal events at Bedford. The plans also include a free “CityWalk” with restaurants and shops.
Although England does not enjoy as much as sun as Orlando, Thompson said this had not held back Universal’s parks in Japan and China.
A research firm hired by Universal estimates the net economic contribution of the site — set against alternative plans for housing and warehouses on the site — would be £35.1bn over the first 20 years of operations.
The figure brings together the boost to tourism, jobs created and construction and maintenance of the resort. Thompson said the government would take in extra £14.1bn in tax in the period, making a total of £49.2bn.
The theme park and resort is expected to create 20,000 jobs. About 8,000 would be employed directly, with the rest indirectly around the services that would supply the site, from bakers to plumbers. Thousands more jobs would be needed in construction, which would take about six years.
Thompson did not comment on where else in Europe the company had looked but said the Bedford site was the only one that would work for Universal in the UK, owing to its size, flatness and location in the country.
“It’s not easy to find hundreds of acres of land in England to build a resort,” he said.
In opening the site, Comcast will bring a long-running US rivalry with Walt Disney to Europe. The main alternative for consumers in Europe will be Disneyland Paris, although there are other UK attractions such as Thorpe Park, Legoland and the Harry Potter experience at the Warner Bros studios.
Universal, which expects about one-third of visits to come from overseas via Luton airport, is working with the Department for Transport on potential requirements for railway stations at the resort, and roads from the nearby motorway.
Universal is expected to ask the government for financial incentives to help fund the development.
“The infrastructure is not really ready for millions of visitors. We need to get some roads built, and the rail lines to handle more people. We would like support from the government to make the project happen.”
The government declined to comment.
No decision has been taken on whether to proceed with the development while talks continue and the feasibility work is being carried out. Thompson said Comcast hoped to make a decision by the end of the year.
The site had been designated for economic development, Thompson said, which should help planning.
The site comprises the former Kempston Hardwick brickworks site, one of the main suppliers of bricks to the British construction industry, and some farm land; none is classified as greenbelt land.
Thompson said recent community surveys had yielded more than 6,000 responses. More than nine in 10 people said they were “positive” about the development; the remainder (8 per cent) was split between “do not know” and “negative”.
“This is the highest percentage of positive responses we’ve ever seen for any potential project,” said Thompson.
Along with local MPs, officials in government are supportive of the plans. The Department for Culture, Media and Sport agreed to act as the sponsor for the project within government, but the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities will decide on planning.
A letter sent to local residents in May after the consultation said there was “strong support for the economic impact” of the project but “some areas where you had questions or wanted reassurance” including the need for infrastructure investment.
Nick Platts, managing director of Luton Rising, the council-owned group that controls Luton airport, said Universal’s plans enjoyed local backing because of the ripple effect of the theme park on the regional economy.
“A lot of infrastructure investment has been north to south, rather than east to west,” he said.
