Earlier this week, the Government approved the application by Universal Destinations & Experiences for a Special Development Order (SDO) to build the first Universal Studios theme park in Bedford.
Universal Destinations & Experiences, which owns the 476-acre site, is a unit of Comcast NBCUniversal. Their planning application to redevelop the former brickworks was granted by the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) on 16th December 2025.
There remain further stages to complete such as a statutory parliamentary review period. A spokesperson for Universal Destinations & Experiences said: “this decision represents another important milestone for the project”.
The project will deliver a ‘world-class theme park’ with visitor accommodation and a range of retail, dining and entertainment facilities. Universal claims that 92% of more than 6,000 espondents expressed support for the project in a Spring 2024 survey.
With more than 8 million people expected to visit the resort in its first year, nearly £500 million of publicly funded infrastructure upgrades will be required. These improvements include the expansion of Wixams railway station as well as direct slip roads from the A421. Comcast estimate the Treasury will receive £14.1 billion in additional tax revenues over 20 years from the site.
Universal estimates the completed project will ‘generate nearly £50 billion’ for the UK economy. Construction will create approximately 20,000 jobs with 8,000 permanent new roles once the site is operational. The resort is also expected to be one of the largest employers in the region with approximately 80% of employees to commute in from Bedford, Central Bedfordshire, Luton and Milton Keynes.
Luton airport is expected to be one of the primary air travel hubs used by visitors to the Universal theme park. In April earlier this year, the Government approved plans to nearly double the capacity of Luton airport and in doing so overruled planning inspectors.
The Bedford-based project will add to the existing portfolio of Universal-themed resorts around the world including Universal Orlando Resort, Universal Studios Hollywood, Universal Studios Japan and Universal Studios Singapore.
Image: Universal Destinations & Experiences
© Eastern Echo (powered by ukpropertyforums.com).
This article and its contents are the intellectual property of UK Property Forums and may not be reproduced, distributed, or used in any form without prior written permission. The views expressed are those of the author(s) and do not constitute legal or professional advice.
