Universal Buys UK Land, Exploring Possible New Theme Park

Great news for people in the UK, as Universal has acquired some land 60 miles north of London in Bedford while it explores the possibility of a new theme park. Naturally, people across the pond are also great fans of Harry Potter, Super Nintendo and the like, so this is possibly great news for them. Read on to find out what we know so far about the possible exciting new theme park.

Universal is exploring possible theme park in the UK

A spokesperson for Universal Destinations & Experiences spoke to Travel + Leisure on Tuesday this week, saying:

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.

No doubt people in the UK will be thrilled and excited that a Universal theme park could be in the making. Naturally, travelers visiting the UK will also appreciate it. Meanwhile, the company operates several theme parks around the world. Besides Florida and California in the US, it also has theme parks and resorts in Osaka, Beijing and Singapore.

Moreover, the company recently announced a new, upcoming kid-focused theme park resort in Texas. Universal has also recently spoken of a new, upcoming kid-focused theme park resort in Texas. But that’s not all, as a first-of-its-kind, year-round horror theme park will be hosted in the immersive Area15 in Las Vegas.

When can UK fans start celebrating a new Universal theme park?

Universal also shared with Travel + Leisure that the new project is only in the early planning process. It needs to determine the feasibility of the new theme park. However, Europe and the UK are currently in a special focus for Universal as attractive destinations for this kind of major project.

According to Universal, there are several reasons, including the large population and an existing vibrant tourism industry already in place, as well as creative industries. Moreover, the public transportation infrastructure is excellent and provides easy access to the park from all over Europe.

The land already leased by the company can be reached from London via public transport in around 45 minutes. Moreover, the close proximity of the land to England’s capital allows for easy connections to the potential theme park. It is also noted that the town of Bedford, where the theme park would be hosted, is easily reachable for more than half of the UK’s population by car or public transportation.

Maybe not Harry Potter?

While fans are probably hoping for Harry Potter and the likes, that is only speculation at this stage. Universal said that given the early stages of the project, no creative content for the theme park has been confirmed. In fact, it said that anything shared online about the new theme park is only speculation.

Meanwhile, it could be controversial if the new Universal theme park opened another Wizarding World of Harry Potter. This is due to the Bedford location’s proximity to that other Harry Potter location, the Warner Bros. Studios Tour London. However, there are plenty of other popular entertainment icons to choose from.

Universal is having an exciting time right now, with its expansion of the theme parks after opening Minion Land at Universal Orlando Resort. Moreover, it also opened Super Nintendo World at Universal Studios Hollywood. In the future, there is also the 2025 opening of a new theme park in Orlando, Epic Universe. As soon as Universal reveals more news about the potential UK theme park, it will be updated here.