Universal says it’s planning to open ‘one of the greatest theme parks in the world’ right here in the UK.
To be honest it would say that, as it’s hardly about to announce that it’s aiming for some sort of disappointing botch job.
Except for that Dismaland place, but that was rather the point of the whole attraction.
Anyway, back to Universal, it’s bought a 476 acre plot of land just south of Bedford as it reckons that’s where its UK theme park is going to go.
It’ll be Universal’s first theme park in Europe, but before you go and pack your bags it’s going to take some time before the thing is actually built.
See, this is where Universal is planning to build the theme park. (Universal)
Speaking of which, Universal reckons construction would take ‘around five to six years’, and it hasn’t actually stuck a spade into the ground yet as it just last month finished consulting with the locals.
It expects that at peak construction times there’d be around 5,000 people working to build this enormous theme park.
As for what the visitors of the future could expect, that’s all still up in the air as well as Universal has said ‘it is still too early in the process to know the possibilities of featured attractions and experiences’.
Sorry folks, but this early into the process the company is keeping shtum about what exactly you’d be getting, though you surely would expect it to have something Harry Potter themed wouldn’t you?
It would be turning what used to be an old brickworks into a huge theme park, and while it’s already bought 476 acres there’s also the option of pushing the size of the place to about 700 acres in total.
Other Universal theme parks include plenty of rides based on their movies, including the Harry Potter series and Jurassic Park. (Gary Hershorn/Getty Images)
If you’re wondering why Universal would build a theme park near Bedford, the place apparently has good transport links so people across the UK can get there without much difficulty.
It’s also well-connected to some airports if visitors from overseas want to make the journey.
The company reckons it’ll create about 8,000 jobs once it’s finished and support around another 12,000 through serving all of the needs of a theme park which thousands of people visit every day.
According to Universal, 92 percent of the locals who it consulted were supportive of the idea to build a honking massive theme park right on their doorstep.
Universal currently operates two theme parks in the US, located in Orlando and Hollywood, as well as parks in Japan, China and Singapore.
Anyone fancy a trip to Universal Bedford in 2030?
Featured Image Credit: Lang Jiahui/China News Service via Getty Images / Jia Tianyong/China News Service via Getty Images
Topics: UK News, Theme Park, Universal Pictures