Universal Studios Great Britain

Universal Studios Great Britain is a planned 700-acre (3 km²) theme park and resort complex in Bedfordshire, England. The park is set to be the eighth Universal Studios Resort, and the first in the United Kingdom.

Universal Studios Great Britain

Concept art
Location	Kempston Hardwick, Bedford, England
Coordinates	52°05′23.1″N 0°29′58.5″W
Status	Planned
Owner	NBCUniversal (Comcast)
Operated by	Universal Destinations & Experiences
Theme	Universal properties
Area	476–700 acres (193–283 ha)
Website	Official website

History

Before the development of the UK park, Universal Destinations & Experiences had twice attempted to establish a resort in Europe. The first, a planned park in Sénart, France, was cancelled due to the underperformance of Euro Disneyland.^[1] The second was the 1998 acquisition of PortAventura and later development of Universal Mediterranea in Salou, 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 in Bedfordshire, approximately 45 minutes north of London.^[4] In September 2023, the company registered the domain names UniversalStudiosGreatBritain.com and UniversalGreatBritain.com.^[5] The plans were officially announced on 19 December 2023,^[6] and between April and May 2024 entered public consultation, receiving over 6,000 responses.^[7]

On 9 April 2025, the prime minister, Keir Starmer, confirmed that the government supported the project, with construction expected to start in 2026 and Universal confirming a planned 2031 opening (subject to planning approvals) and releasing the first official concept art.^[8] It is estimated 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]

Proposal

Potential development area of theme park and resort

The planned site is around 3 miles (5 km) south of Bedford town centre. It is bordered by the A421 to the west, the planned East West Main Line to the north-east,^[a] the Midland 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.^[10][4]

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 a Universal CityWalk); and two transport hubs dubbed the "East Gateway Zone" and the "West Gateway Zone".^[4][11]

The plans also include an expansion of the already under construction Wixams railway station, and a substantial new railway station on the East West line (to replace Kempston Hardwick railway station), as well as the redevelopment and expansion of roadways, for example through the addition of new slipways on the redeveloped A421 to cope with the added traffic brought by the park.^[4][11][12]

Notes

1. The section between Bletchley (Milton Keynes) and Bedford, currently known as the Marston Vale line, is scheduled to become part of the East West main line, the new line between Oxford and Cambridge via Milton Keynes (for the West Coast Main Line) and Tempsford (for the East Coast Main Line). See East West Rail.