The company behind one of the world’s biggest theme parks has lifted the lid on why an unassuming UK town will be home to its brand-new European destination. The president of new ventures at Universal Destinations and Experiences said a £50 billion park planned for the site of a former brickworks in Bedford would be the US firm’s only presence in Europe – and attract visitors from across the continent. While the announcement caught some by surprise – catapulting the English market town to the ranks of Hollywood, Orlando, Beijing and Singapore, where other Universal parks have been built – Page Thompson insisted that the choice had been a considered one, and was based on Bedford’s geography and transport links.
“It’s just a fantastic location, and the site was very flat and already slated for development, and we knew from the very beginning we had incredibly strong support from the people of Bedford,” he told the BBC. “The Oxford link to our site on the East West Rail should be completed by 2030 [and] already London Luton Airport is drawing 18 million passengers a year. So the recent news about their planning approval for the expansion is just an extra bonus for us as well.”
The 476-acre theme park is expected to create around 20,000 jobs during its construction phase and a further 8,000 when it opens in 2031. Universal has estimated that it will bring up to 8.5 million people to Bedfordshire in its first year of operation, with a planned 500-room hotel and retail and entertainment complex designed to keep them occupied.
The company has also claimed that 80% of the new roles, which span hospitality and the creative industries, would go to people from the local area, including Luton and Milton Keynes.
In his first comments since the plans were confirmed by the Prime Minister earlier this month, Mr Thompson said the already ambitious endeavour could continue to grow over the next century, describing it as a “long-term” project and claiming that the 60-year-old company was thinking ahead to “the next 100 years”.
“Phase one of this project is the theme park, a 500-room hotel, some restaurants that people can visit without buying a theme park ticket,” he said.
“This is just the start of the development in the Bedford area on our land that we’re going to own.”
The executive also reiterated Sir Keir Starmer’s claim that the project would “firmly put [Bedford] on the world stage”, suggesting that Universal’s only planned destination in Europe was capitalising on an untapped market.
“A country with the population and the tourist visitation of the UK should have probably three of the top 25 theme parks in the world,” he said.
“Right now they don’t have any – and our smallest park that we operate anywhere in the world draws nine million people … We think we’re going to be a major driver of tourism to the country.”
Universal released the first mock-up look at the plans this month, showing a huge plaza built around a fountain and imposing entrance gates in the style of its other venues.
The firm has not yet confirmed which attractions will be included in the new park, but has hinted at a number of themed “worlds” – with existing sites including Harry Potter, Jurassic Park and Nintendo themed areas.