Move aside, Orlando
A new Universal theme park could be opening in the UK within years after the group purchased a 467-acre site in Bedfordshire.
The former brickworks in Kempston Hardwick were bought by Comcast last year with proposals in the works to develop it into a major theme park.
Locals are being engaged on the project which could generate 8,000 new jobs and provide a £50 billion boost to the UK economy.
According to reports in the BBC, the resort “would be amongst the high-attended attractions in the UK, bringing millions of incremental international visitors”.
It’s unclear what rides will feature at the resort, but it lies only 35 miles north of the Warner Bros Studio Tour just north of London, which is a magnet for Harry Potter fans.
Other attractions that feature in Orlando include the Hollywood Rip Ride Rockit which has a vertical lift hill and The Incredible Hulk Coaster.
The Curse of the Warewolf – a high-speed roller coaster that has you escaping werewolves as they come across you – is due to open next year.
Details of the new site in Berkshire suggest thsat the construction of the project would create 20,000 jobs in the long-term, with 5,000 workers on site at its peak.
Universal has confirmed that the site is due to open 365 days a year, in line with the group’s other global resorts.
Page Thompson, president of new ventures for Universal Destinations and Experiences, said: “A world-class theme park and resort from Universal has the potential to generate billions in economic benefit for the UK, by creating thousands of high-quality jobs and attracting millions of new visitors to the country.”
The company took part in a month-long public engagement process for its plans from the start of April.
It is understood that Universal is likely to seek planning permission directly from government using a special development order (SDO) later in the year.
If it goes ahead, the construction of the site is likely to take at least five years.
