 Concept art | |
 | |
| Location | Kempston Hardwick,Bedford, England |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 52°05′23.1″N0°29′58.5″W / 52.089750°N 0.499583°W /52.089750; -0.499583 |
| Status | Planned |
| Owner | NBCUniversal (Comcast) |
| Operated by | Universal Destinations & Experiences |
| Theme |
|
| Area | 476–700 acres (193–283 ha) |
| Website | universalukproject |
TheUniversal United Kingdom Resort, or simplyUniversal United Kingdom, is a planned 700-acre (3 km2)theme park and resort complex inBedfordshire, England. The park is set to be the eighthUniversal Studios Resort, and the first in theUnited Kingdom.
Before the development of the UK park,Universal Destinations & Experiences had twice attempted to establish a resort inEurope. The first, a planned park inSénart, France, was cancelled due to the underperformance ofEuro Disneyland.[1] The second was the 1998 acquisition ofPortAventura and later development ofUniversal Mediterranea inSalou, Spain, which the company sold in 2004.[2]
In August 2023,Comcast acquired construction and development company Cloud Wing UK,[3] including 476 acres (0.7 sq mi; 1.9 km2) of land inBedfordshire, approximately 45 minutes north ofLondon.[4] In September 2023, the company registered the domain namesUniversalStudiosGreatBritain.com andUniversalGreatBritain.com.[5] The plans were officially announced on 19 December 2023,[6] followed by a public consultation between April and May 2024, which received over 6,000 responses.[7]
In April 2025, Prime MinisterKeir Starmer confirmed that the government supported the project, with construction expected to begin in 2026.[8] Universal announced a planned opening in 2031, subject toplanning approvals, and released the first official concept art. The company estimates that the project could generate nearly £50 billion for the economy by 2055, including an estimated 28,000 jobs, and 8.5 million visitors in the first year.[9]
On 8 September 2025, Universal registered thetrademark "Universal United Kingdom Resort" with the United Kingdom'sIntellectual Property Office.[10]
The planned site is around 3 miles (5 km) south ofBedford town centre. It is bordered by theA421 to the west, the plannedEast West Main Line to the north-east,[a] theMidland Main Line to the east, and Broadmead Road to the south, and comprises up to 700 acres (280 ha) of land, including 476 acres (193 ha) previously purchased.[4][11]
The plans are split into four "zones": the "Core Zone", where the theme park and hotel(s) are to be located; the adjacent "Lake Zone" (based on existing lakes formed by diggings at the former Kempston Hardwick brickworks), located north of the "Core Zone" and intended for mixed-use purposes (likely aUniversal CityWalk); and two transport hubs dubbed the "East Gateway Zone" and the "West Gateway Zone".[4][12]
The plans also include expanding the partially constructedWixams railway station and building a new station on the East West line to replaceKempston Hardwick railway station, as well as upgrading the local road network, including dedicated slip roads from the A421.[4][12][13]
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