Universal UK Theme Park to Replace Planned Housing at Bedford Brickworks Site

Comcast NBCUniversal has named its first major European theme park the Universal United Kingdom Resort and will develop the 500-acre complex at a former brickworks site in Kempston Hardwick, just south of Bedford. The project is scheduled for five years of construction and is expected to draw more than eight million visitors annually once open.

The company plans to invest more than £5 billion during construction and an additional £1 billion in capital spending over the first decade of operation.

The resort will become the eighth Universal Studios Resort and the first new European location since NBCUniversal sold Universal Mediterranea, now PortAventura near Tarragona, in 2004. The site was originally slated for 1,000 homes after its 167 chimneys were demolished in 2021. Planners chose the location for its rail links and proximity to London Luton Airport.

Planning documents published in July showed structures reaching 377 feet, which would be the tallest rides in Europe. The Department for Transport confirmed upgrades to the A421 road and Wixams station at an expected cost of £474 million. The Treasury has already placed 100 people in the UK on the project payroll, while Universal has received expressions of interest from more than 33,000 individuals.

A company spokesman said about 80 percent of eventual employees are expected to come from Bedfordshire and surrounding regions. ” Chancellor Rachel Reeves said the project, located in the Oxford to Cambridge Growth Corridor, would “unlock nearly £50 billion of economic growth” and generate “tens of thousands of jobs” in construction, hospitality, creative and technology sectors.

Chairman of Comcast Corporation Brian Roberts called the venture “a special moment for our company” and cited the firm’s existing UK presence through Sky and NBCUniversal.