Universal Destinations and Experience has confirmed plans for a UK theme park in Bedfordshire, with the company buying 480 acres of land in Stewartby.
Universal has revealed it is “exploring its feasibility for a potential park and resort” on a former brickworks site in the UK county.
A spokeswoman for the company told the BBC: “We recently acquired land in Bedford and are at the early stages of exploring its feasibility for a potential park and resort at this site.
“It will be many months before we are ready to make a decision to proceed and we look forward to engaging with all relevant stakeholders and the local community.”
The move would represent a further expansion of Universal’s theme parks business. The company is already building two new parks – Universal Kids Resort in Frisco, Texas, and Universal Epic Universe in Orlando. Universal is also launching a year-round horror experience at Area15 in Las Vegas.
The company currently operates theme parks in Hollywood and Orlando, and in Japan, Beijing and Singapore.
Universal’s statement continued: “We are always looking at new locations around the world, including in Europe, and the UK is an attractive place for a potential project.
“The UK has a large population, creative industries, strong tourism, and transportation infrastructure with close proximity to other parts of Europe.”
Universal buys brickworks for UK site
Universal said the location was selected due to its “”transportation connectivity to London and Europe”. More than half of the UK population lives within two hours of the site.
Tom Wootton, the elected mayor of Bedford Borough Council, said: “The suggestion of a major business investment is of course positive, nevertheless these are early days and much detailed work is required before any decisions are made.
“We very much welcome and are excited by the interest from Universal and the immense potential for it to be transformative for the borough.
“We’re committed to ensure that any plans align with the best interests of our residents.”
Images courtesy of Universal
