Work is set to start on Universal's new UK theme park as the special development order (SDO) granting planning permission comes into force.
Universal parent company Comcast sought planning permission for the development through an SDO, which allows the UK government to approve the project directly, bypassing normal local planning procedures.
Planning permission for the new park was granted in December, and the SDO became legally effective yesterday (12 January).
Law firm Dentons advised the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government on the making of an SDO granting planning permission for the development, including theme parks, water parks and wider infrastructure.
Roy Pinnock, head of UK planning and public law at Dentons, said: "This landmark [SDO] demonstrates how the planning regime can be used to deliver complex, nationally significant developments, while ensuring that planning considerations are assessed rigorously and in the public interest."
Via a Dentons statement, the SDO will facilitate the development of one of the UK's most significant inward investment opportunities.
Universal's UK resort is expected to attract more than eight million visitors annually and provide a £50 billion benefit to the economy by 2055.
Universal targeting 2031 opening
The project will create around 20,000 jobs during the construction period, and 8,000 permanent positions once operational.
Universal is targeting a 2031 opening for the park, as confirmed in September by Mark Woodbury, chairman and CEO of Universal Destinations & Experiences.
On the park's design, Woodbury said: "It's a full-blown Universal theme park with a 500-room hotel that is part of it, very much like Epic in terms of a park with a hotel.
"We've created a different mix of attractions that we think will work great in the UK."
Images courtesy of Universal
