Universal has some very big, perhaps even Epic, news for theme park goers in the United Kingdom as it has confirmed multi-billion-pound plans to build its new park and resort in Bedfordshire.
Fresh off the completion of Epic Universe in Orlando - which is in the final stages of preparation ahead of its grand opening on 22 May - the proposed UK park will be Universal’s first in Europe as it continues to challenge Disney's theme-park dominance on multiple fronts.
Epic Universe is setting a new standard for theme park attractions, wowing all guests lucky enough to visit under preview access.
If the new UK park, slated to open in 2031, is delivered to those standards it promises to raise the bar for parks in Europe.
Located in Kempston Hardwick, in Bedfordshire, the planned theme park will be around 40 minutes from Luton Airport (which was recently greenlit for expansion) and just over an hour from Heathrow.
The UK government is expected to support nearby infrastructure upgrades including rail connections to East West Rail, which will hopefully make the theme park resort easy to access for both domestic and international guests.
The site, formerly home to a brickworks, spans 476 acres and it will see the development of the theme park as well as a 500-room hotel, retail areas, restaurants and eateries as well as entertainment spaces.
How big will the park be?
Well, with 476 acres to work with, it is a sufficiently large site that Universal will have the wherewithal to create a world-class park.
For context, in Paris, the Disneyland Park is around 128 acres and the Walt Disney Studios Park covers around 67 acres currently (before the Frozen expansion area).
Meanwhile, in Orlando, Universal’s Islands of Adventure park spans around 112 acres and the Universal Studios park covers around 108 acres. At Epic Universe, the footprint of the park is around 110 acres (though the whole development area including road infrastructure and three new hotels closer to 750 acres).
Prime Minister Kier Starmer, in a government statement, said it would be “one of the biggest entertainment parks in Europe”.
It is a big investment
The ‘multi-billion pound’ investment is projected to support 28,000 jobs - 20,000 during the construction, and 8,000 in hospitality and creative sectors
And, the government said 80% of workers would be hired locally.
Overall, projections see the project, the park and the resort adding £50 billion of value to the UK economy by £50 billion by 2055.
It is anticipated that the new theme park will attract 8.5 million visitors in its first year.
A "tremendous opportunity"
Mark Woodbury, CEO of Universal Destinations & Experiences, in a statement, commented: “Bringing a world-class theme park and resort to the United Kingdom is a tremendous opportunity and is part of our strategy to introduce the Universal brand and experiences to new audiences around the globe.
“We appreciate the incredible support for our proposed project and look forward to bringing it to life in the years ahead.”
Mike Cavanagh, president of Universal parent company Comcast, meanwhile, added: “We could not be more excited to take this very important step in our plan to create and deliver an incredible Universal theme park and resort in the heart of the United Kingdom, which complements our growing US-based parks business by expanding our global footprint to Europe.”
Our thoughts …
Like everyone else, we can’t wait for more details.
If the new UK park is executed anything like as well as Epic Universe, this will be an exciting and major upgrade to the theme park landscape in Europe.
It also very much throws down a gauntlet to Alton Towers and Thorpe Park owner Merlin, and, of course, Disneyland Paris.
The proposed park opening is still six years away, so we’ll look forward to following the project between now and then.
