UPDATE January 8 – Many UK theme park fans are still shocked by the news that in December Universal Destinations & Experiences had purchased a 480 acre plot of land in the small village of Kempston Hardwick. It is close to the A421 which leads to the M1.In the video posted to YouTube by Theme Park Worldwide you get to see extensive aerial video footage of the whole site including the 240 acre former Kempston Hardwick Brickworks which is one part of the purchase. This parcel of land is mainly flat and includes 3 small lakes.The second piece of land is 240 acres of open field which runs the other side of Manor Road which is also mostly flat and would be ideal for Universal to develop on.Kempston Hardwick railway station sits in the middle of the two plots of land purchased by Universal. The current Station would be sure to undergo major improvements if Universal Studios Great Britain gets the green light as would other infrastructure in the area.We now have to patiently wait to hear the next steps on this potential hugely exciting project for the UK and will bring you all the latest news and updates as soon as they are announced.December 26, 2023 – If you speak to any UK theme park fan right now, you can guarantee that the hot topic of conversation will be the recent news that Universal has bought a large 480 acre parcel of land just north of London in Kempston Hardwick in Bedford where they plan to build a new theme park.It was announced yesterday across the UK media that Universal had sent a letter to local residents explaining further about their plans for a potential UK theme park. You can view the letter here.Since the original announcement on December 19, UK theme park enthusiasts have been excitedly trawling the internet to try to discover further details regarding this news. We initially collated a summary of all that was known in our article, Universal Rumored To Be Building A Theme Park In The UK: Is This A Game-Changer In The Making? and we now aim to expand on this with further findings to explore the question, Will Universal UK actually be built?Well, thanks to a recent video posted to YouTube by Theme Park Worldwide which is embedded above we get to discover further details about this potential Universal UK project. We are splitting the information down into a number of sections to make it easier to digest, beginning with the location…Location: Outskirts of Bedford VERY GOODWhen a company looks to build a theme park there are a number of key factors to consider, the most important one though is always likely to be location. Universal has recently purchased a 480 acre plot of land just north of London in Bedford in Kempston Hardwick on the site of the former Bedford Brickworks site.It has been reported that this location is within 2 hours of half the population of the UK (30 million people) making it a highly desirable location for a theme park and one which would essentially be guaranteed good attendance figures. Surrounding Infrastructure: GOODThe site is close to good road infrastructure. It is near to the M1 which is one of the major motorways which runs right through the UK and also there is the nearby A6 and dual carriageway. As the project progresses we would expect further infrastructure to be put into place in the local area. Is the plot of land big enough for a Universal Resort? 480 acres…Well, if we compare this plot of land to the other Universal resorts across the globe you quickly get a picture that 480 acres is a very good size. So, here is the list of the current 5 Universal resorts in terms of total acreage:Universal Orlando – 541 acresUniversal Hollywood – 415 acresUniversal Japan – 130 acresUniversal Singapore – 120 acresUniversal Beijing – 130 acresAs you can see 480 acres is plenty of land, only being beaten by Universal Orlando Resort with 541 acres.Universal Resorts have a main Universal Studios Park with a park size ranging between 49 – 415 acres.Universal Studios Hollywood – 415 acresUniversal Studios Japan – 130 acresUniversal Studios Beijing – 130 acresUniversal Studios Florida – 125 acresUniversal’s Islands of Adventure – 110 acresUniversal Studios Singapore – 49 acresThere will often then be a second gate which is the case in Orlando with Universal’s Islands of Adventure as well as hotels, Citywalk and more.So, read on to learn more about what will likely be in a potential Universal UK theme park and when we are likely to see it opening…
