London (AFP) – Universal will build its first European theme park in Britain, Prime Minister Keir Starmer said Wednesday, unveiling a mega deal with the US film studio that could create thousands of jobs and attract millions of tourists. “What a momentous day…It’s not just the first one in the United Kingdom, that would be pretty good, it’s the first one across Europe, and that is really incredible,” Starmer said, adding that the park would bring “joy to Britain”.
He announced earlier the UK had closed a “deal on a multibillion-pound investment” with US communications giant Comcast, which owns Universal, that will see the theme park built close to the English town of Bedford, north of London. It comes after years of discussions with UK leaders, and Starmer said during a visit to the town on Wednesday that it would “boost our world-class creative industries”.
There are currently five Universal theme parks around the globe. The first was opened in 1964 in Hollywood, based around the original film studios, followed later by an East Coast park in Orlando, Florida. Three others are in Asia — in Beijing, Osaka in Japan and Singapore.
Starmer joked that his 16-year-old son and 14-year-old daughter never pay much attention to his announcements, “but this one has really caught their eye”. “They could envisage themselves at this theme park with millions of other children for decades to come.” Visitors to Europe’s first Universal park could possibly enjoy rides and shows based around such movie characters as the loveable ogre Shrek, the clumsy Minions, the fearsome dinosaurs of Jurassic Park, and the popular world of boy magician Harry Potter.
The park could create around 28,000 jobs, including 20,000 during construction due to start next year, and represent a £50 billion ($64 billion) boost to the UK economy by 2055, Starmer’s office said. Around 80 percent of the employees would come from the local area, a Downing Street statement said. An estimated 8.5 million people would visit in its first year planned for 2031, making it the largest attraction in Britain.
“We could not be more excited to take this very important step in our plan to create and deliver an incredible Universal theme park and resort in the heart of the United Kingdom,” Comcast president Mike Cavanagh said in the statement.
In 2023, Comcast bought a 200-hectare (490-acre) site of a former brickworks, south of Bedford, about 80 kilometres (50 miles) north of London. Universal has said it will work with local colleges and universities to train the next generation of hospitality workers, with apprenticeships and internships.
The area is linked by a train ride of about an hour from St Pancras station, which also houses the Eurostar serving links to Paris, Brussels, and Amsterdam. There are plans to upgrade stations and roads reaching the area, as well as for a 500-room hotel, rides, shows, and a large dining, shopping, and entertainment complex.
Universal Destinations and Experiences said the next step would be to submit the project to the UK government for planning permission “in the months ahead with a projected construction start date in 2026”. It has already launched a feasibility study and held public consultations last year. Around 6,000 people have completed a survey with 92 percent of respondents being “supportive” of the project, it said.
Universal has not yet revealed details of the rides, but media reports have already hinted at a possible attraction themed around Paddington Bear, which is now a major film franchise. The whole attraction could rival Disneyland Paris, which said that it drew around 10.4 million visitors in 2023.
“From ‘Wicked’ to ‘Minions’, Universal is behind some of the biggest blockbusters of recent years,” said Culture Minister Lisa Nandy. The “landmark investment is fantastic news for our economy, for UK tourism, and for the British public,” she added.
News of the deal comes just a few days after the government signed off on the expansion of nearby Luton Airport, which serves destinations across Europe.
© 2024 AFP
