The UK government has agreed to provide £1.3bn in public funding to support the construction of Universal Studios' first European theme park in Bedfordshire. The project, to be built on the site of the former Kempston Hardwick brickworks near Bedford, is expected to create tens of thousands of jobs and generate nearly £50bn in economic growth, according to Chancellor Rachel Reeves.
The funding package includes £400m from the regional growth fund, a £438m grant from the Department for Culture, Media and Sport for community infrastructure, and an estimated £474m from the Department for Transport for strategic road and rail projects. Comcast, the US media company that owns NBC Universal and Sky, will invest over £5bn in the entertainment complex over a five-year construction period.
The theme park, named the Universal United Kingdom Resort, is due to open in 2031 and is expected to attract approximately 8.5 million visitors in its first year. Comcast has also pledged an additional £1bn in capital investment over the first decade of operations. The project will create 20,000 construction jobs and 8,000 permanent roles once operational.
Chancellor Rachel Reeves visited the proposed site and hailed the deal as a landmark investment in the Oxford-to-Cambridge growth corridor. Brian Roberts, chair of Comcast, said the partnership was a historic moment for the company, bringing its first Universal theme park to Europe and supporting the UK's creative industries.
The announcement coincided with Reeves' unveiling of government backing for a 'science supercluster' across Oxford and Cambridge, including plans for a development corporation for Greater Cambridge and funding for a new exit at Bletchley station on the east-west rail line.
