First Universal theme park in Europe to generate ‘£50bn of economic benefits for UK’
New details have been unveiled for Universal’s first UK theme park – including plans for the attraction to be open 365 days a year.
Universal Destinations & Experiences – which is owned by Sky’s parent company Comcast – has bought land near Bedford as it plans to build Europe’s largest theme park with millions of visitors per year, as well as a 500-room hotel and dining area.
Economic benefits
Universal’s economic impact analysis, produced in line with HM Treasury guidelines on economic appraisal and published today suggests the attraction will generate nearly £50bn of economic benefits for the UK.
It said the net economic contribution of the potential project for the UK was forecast to be £35.1bn over the construction period and first 20 years of operation.
Up to a further £14.1bn was expected to be generated in extra taxes for the exchequer over the same period.
The analysis suggests the project will generate 20,000 jobs during the construction period which, at its peak, will see 5,000 workers on the site.
Once operational, it is expected to create an initial 8,000 new jobs, rising over time. The company has made a commitment to pay the living wage to employees.
‘The best location we’ve ever seen’
Universal has acquired almost 500 acres for the site, which is just south of Bedford between Kempston, Wootton, Stewartby and Wixams, with an option to buy up to a further 200 acres.
A map showing the land Universal has purchased
The new park, which would have a construction period of around six years, would be built on land once occupied by Kempston Hardwick brickworks, once the world’s largest brickworks in terms of output, which closed in 2008 and which was demolished in September 2021.
“I can tell you it’s going to be a world-class park with all experiences that people will love based upon the most popular films, video games and stories that people have enjoyed for decades,” said Page Thompson, the company’s president in charge of new ventures.
“We’ve spent the last decade looking all over Europe and the United Kingdom for locations, and we think this is the best location we’ve ever seen.”
Universal Destinations & Experiences currently has five theme parks around the world – in the United States, Japan, China and Singapore.
Disneyland Paris, which with the associated Walt Disney Studios Park is currently Europe’s biggest theme park, attracts around 15 million visitors per year.
New details
“Our phase one plans consist of a theme park, a 500-room hotel and a dining area that people can come to even if they don’t have a theme park ticket,” Mr Thompson told Sky News.
“Over time, I would expect the number of hotels to grow.
“Our intention is that this park would be open 365 days a year, just like all of our other major theme parks.
“We have a whole series of special events, like our Halloween Horror Nights and carnival parties… and it just allows us to attract people throughout this time.”
Universal said evidence from its other theme parks suggested that for every job supported within the parks at least 1.5 further jobs could be supported in the supply chain and neighbouring parts of the economy – leading to its expectation of a net additional 20,000 jobs.
Plenty of competition
The investment is not without risks and not least because of its scale.
Of Europe’s 20 most visited theme parks, four – Legoland Windsor, Alton Towers, Chessington World of Adventures and Thorpe Park – are in the UK, all owned by the former FTSE-100 giant Merlin Entertainments. Their combined visitor numbers annually come to around half of what Universal is targeting.
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There is also plenty of competition.
Locally, not far from the proposed Bedfordshire site is the Harry Potter Experience at the Warner Bros studio tour near Watford, while there is Woburn Safari Park to the immediate north and Whipsnade Zoo to the immediate west of Luton.
There is no shortage of quality options for family days out. Further afield Europe already has more than 1,000 theme and amusement parks, many of them owned by Merlin, renowned for its astute management.
The weather issue
A third factor, potentially, is the weather. This is something that already handicaps a lot of theme parks in northern Europe, such as Liseberg in the Swedish city of Gothenburg, the Tivoli Gardens in the Danish capital Copenhagen and the original Legoland, in the Danish city of Billund, which close for some or all of the winter. So does Phantasialand, one of Germany’s biggest and most popular attractions.
Universal Destinations & Experiences, however, is thought to be undeterred by the English weather and points to the fact that the weather is not always perfect in other parts of the world in which it operates, most notably China and Japan.
The Paris experience
The company also appears undeterred by the experience of Disney in Paris.
The original Euro Disney was loss-making for many years – partly due to mismanagement and partly due to a misunderstanding of what European and particularly French consumers were looking for – and it has only really been since it was fully consumed by the Walt Disney Company, in 2017, that it has been effectively run.
Transport challenges
Another big risk is the transport links. Universal Destinations & Experiences – the name was changed last year from Universal Parks & Resorts to better reflect the kind of services customers will be offered in future in both the physical and virtual worlds – has selected the site primarily for its rail and road links to London and, with one in three visitors expected to come from overseas, for its proximity to Luton Airport.
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Yet those links are not currently up to handling the kind of visitor numbers Universal Destinations & Experiences is expecting.
The M1, the main road link to London, is frequently congested around the Luton turn-off at junction 10 and the road links from there to the site in need of improvement.
Accordingly, Universal Destinations & Experiences will be seeking government incentives to invest in local road and rail links.
Support could also come from East West Rail, the proposed new main line railway connecting East Anglia and South Wales, the first phase of which is a line between Oxford and Cambridge and for which a new station at Kempston Hardwick – whose existing station backs onto the land the park would operate – has been proposed.
The planning process
Riskiest of all, perhaps, is the planning process. Local businesses and MPs are supportive while both Jeremy Hunt, the Chancellor and Mark Harper, the Transport Secretary, have been briefed on the project. Planning proposals have been submitted and Universal Destinations & Experiences has held talks with Bedford Borough and Central Bedfordshire Councils.
However, Mr Thompson confirmed that Universal Destinations & Experiences is seeking planning permission via a so-called special development order – which would take the decision out of the hands of the local authorities and instead leave the final decision on planning consent with the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities.
A roll of the dice
So this is a big roll of the dice by Universal Destinations & Experiences.
The investment – the first phase of which will be several billion pounds – will take many years to pay off while thrill-seekers should probably not expect the resort to be up and running much before the end of the decade.
However, starting with a blank sheet of paper as it opens its first European venue, Universal Destinations & Experiences has the opportunity to bring something genuinely new not just to the UK but to Europe.
The name change made by the business last year reflects the fact that, in future, the business expects to be offering branded entertainment, culinary, gaming and consumer product experiences that go a lot further than the traditional theme park and resort offerings.
There could even be experiences at the resort which have yet to be conceived. It could be quite the ride.
Two men have been arrested by armed officers after multiple people were stabbed on a train.
The train was stopped at Huntingdon station, in Cambridgeshire, after police were called at around 7.40pm on Saturday.
Cambridgeshire Police said a number of people have been taken to hospital, while a “large-scale response” was deployed by the East of England Ambulance Service.
Video shared online which appears to have been filmed from a railway bridge shows a huge police response with armed officers running along the platform towards the train carriages.
Gavin saw injured passengers
Witnesses told Sky News the stabbings started around 10 minutes after the 6.25 train from Doncaster to London King’s Cross left Peterborough and passengers sounded the emergency alarm.
One man who was on the train told Sky News he saw someone coming though his carriage saying: “They’ve got a knife, I’ve been stabbed.”
“They were making their way through the carriage to get away from the suspects. They were extremely bloodied,” said the man who gave his name as Gavin.
He said by the time the train pulled up “they were basically on the floor”.
“That person ended up collapsing on the floor. They were taken to an ambulance pretty much straight away,” he said.
Gavin said passengers were ushered out into the station and “there were multiple people who had been stabbed making their way down”.
But he said one of the suspects had also come off the train and was “running rampant as well”, and was “waving a large knife” before he was taken down by armed officers with a taser.
Pic: Police at Huntingdon train station
London North Eastern Railway, which operates East Coast Mainline services in the UK, said all lines are blocked around Huntingdon station, with major disruption expected until the end of the day.
Police said the A1307 has been closed on the approach to the town centre and the incident remains ongoing.
Cambridgeshire Police said in a statement: “We were called at 7.39pm with reports that multiple people had been stabbed on a train.
“Armed officers attended and the train was stopped at Huntingdon, where two men were arrested.
“A number of people have been taken to hospital.
“The incident remains ongoing and the A1307 has been closed as you approach the town centre.”
Huntingdon MP Ben Obese-Jecty said in a post on X he was “aware of the incident” and “trying to establish further information”.
“My thoughts are with the victims and those involved,” he wrote.
Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer said the “appalling incident” was “deeply concerning”.
“My thoughts are with all those affected, and my thanks go to the emergency services for their response,” he wrote on X.
“Anyone in the area should follow the advice of the police.”
The Home Secretary said she was “deeply saddened” by the incident in Huntingdon and urged the public to “avoid comment and speculation at this early stage”.
In a statement on X, Shabana Mahmood said: “Two suspects have been immediately arrested and taken into custody.
“I am receiving regular updates on the investigation.”
Speaking to Sky News at the scene, Huntingdon MP Ben Obese-Jecty said: “When I first arrived here, I’ve simply never seen as big a response to an emergency incident as there were in terms of police, fire and ambulance.”
Shadow Home Secretary Chris Philp said on X: “Horrific scenes in Huntingdon, in what seems to be a brutal mass attack by two perpetrators.
“My thoughts are with all those injured or affected and the emergency services responding The police and government should provide an update on what happened and who has been arrested as soon as possible
Tory party chairman Kevin Hollinrake also described the scenes as “horrifying”.
“My thoughts are with the victims and the emergency services responding to this incident,” he wrote on X.
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A Land Rover was spotted leaving Royal Lodge – the home of Andrew Mountbatten Windsor – on Saturday morning, as more US politicians call for him to testify before a congressional committee.
Emails released on Friday in unsealed court documents shed new light on Andrew’s correspondence with Epstein.
Months after the paedophile financier was released from prison in 2009 for prostituting minors, Andrew wrote that it would be “good to catch up in person”.
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Will Andrew have to give evidence on Epstein?
The pair were pictured together in New York’s Central Park in December 2010, in a meeting Andrew later claimed was to end their friendship.
In Congress, the House Oversight Committee is investigating the Epstein affair, and several of its members have invited Andrew to come and give evidence, presenting it as an opportunity to clear his name.
Meanwhile, Virginia Giuffre’s family have called for Andrew to be “investigated” over her claims that – as a teenager – she had sex with Andrew on three occasions after being trafficked by Epstein and Maxwell.
Andrew has always denied the claims. Ms Giuffre sued in 2021 and the case was settled outside of court for a sum believed to have been around £12m.
In an interview with Gareth Barlow on Sky News, Ms Giuffre’s brother Sky Roberts praised the King for stripping his brother of his remaining titles and ousting him from Royal Lodge.
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Andrew set for six-figure sum
Andrew could be in line for a six-figure payout and an annual payment as part of his “relocation settlement” after being forced out of the Royal Lodge, the Guardian reported.
One option includes an initial six-figure sum followed by an annual payment, which would be paid from the King’s private funds, and is thought to be several times his £20k-a-year navy pension, sources told the newspaper.
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He will move from Windsor to private accommodation in Sandringham, Norfolk. But on Saturday, people in Sandringham had mixed views about the move.
One man told Sky News he would be unwelcome: “This is a lovely, peaceful area. His reputation now is tarnished, and, I don’t think it’s right.
“This is where the royals come for Christmas… and come throughout the year. And, I don’t think people local really want to see him here.”
But another man was more sympathetic: “He hasn’t been found guilty of anything in my view. So and people forget that he was a war hero in the Falklands. That’s all gone now, isn’t it? Nobody’s thinking that he’s done any good.”
Public supports Charles, poll shows
A poll has revealed the public supports the King’s decision to strip Andrew of his titles and remove him from the Royal Lodge.
Of the 4,739 people surveyed by YouGov, 79% said it was “the right decision” to “strip Andrew Mountbatten Windsor (formerly Prince Andrew) of his prince title”.
But when asked about the speed of King’s response to the Andrew-Epstein revelations, 58% of respondents said the monarch moved “too slowly”.
Police provide update
The Metropolitan Police has given Sky News an update on allegations that Andrew asked a royal close protection officer to “dig up dirt” on Virginia Giuffre in 2011.
When reports first emerged two weeks ago, the force said it was “actively looking into the claims”.
On Saturday, the Met said: “Following recent media reporting on the actions of officers in relation to this matter, we are considering whether any further assessment or review is necessary.”
Meanwhile, the police watchdog, the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC), issued a statement regarding allegations that Andrew’s royal close protection officers had obstructed lawyers serving a lawsuit from Virginia Giuffre in 2021.
The IOPC said: “We have not received any referrals in relation to this matter at this time.”
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Graham Smith, from the anti-monarchy group Republic, told Sky News: “The problem that the royals have is that there’s going to be more information coming out, more scandals, more accusations and more emails.
“The idea that essentially… he’s [Andrew] told to live in a very large house, given a half million pound stipend, and told to use his own name, is any kind of punishment, is absurd in most people’s eyes.”
In the next few days, the King is expected to submit the royal warrant, affecting the dukedom, and letters patent, which will formally remove Andrew’s entitlement to use the title prince and HRH style.
“I hate it,” Shirley told us.
Every time she has to give her address, it leads to a snide remark or joke at her expense.
She’s lived on Prince Andrew Drive in Telford, Shropshire, for 35 years.
As the national scandal around Andrew Mountbatten Windsor – as he is now called – has deepened, it has become increasingly embarrassing for her.
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A few years ago, another resident started a petition to change the name of the road, and somebody covered up part of the street sign.
“I think we should change it,” Shirley told us, “but don’t ask me what to.”
Shirley is one of the residents calling for the street to be renamed
After a few minutes weighing up the options, she settled on Prince George Drive.
“At least that looks to the future,” she added.
Linda Boden has lived on the road even longer – she and husband Phil moved here after getting married 45 years ago.
“We have actually had the conversation this morning, that the name of this road will get changed,” Linda said.
Phil told us he wasn’t bothered about the name. “It’s just a name, it’s not the man… I can’t tell you what I think [about him] without swearing you know.”
A bird’s eye view of Prince Andrew Drive
Cheryl, who lives nearby, told us what really mattered to her were the victims of the Jeffrey Epstein scandal – particularly the late Virginia Giuffre.
“That poor girl needs justice,” she said. “It is ridiculous it has gone on this long to be perfectly honest. That poor family are still living with it.”
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Julie Harper lives on the adjacent road, called Queen Elizabeth Way, and is more than happy with her road name.
She told Sky News that the King had made the “best decision ever” by removing his brother’s titles.
I asked where her sympathies lay within this long-running royal scandal and Julie was unequivocal.
“With anybody who has been sexually exploited,” she said bluntly.
Julie believes Princess Anne Drive would be a better name for her neighbours’ road.
“She’s one of the better ones,” she added.
Julie lives on the nearby Queen Elizabeth Way and suggests a renaming that would stick to the royal theme
Changing the road name would be a logistical headache for local authorities and residents, with some telling us it did not bother them and they would not fancy the extra paperwork to amend things such as household bills and driving licences.
But Postman Gary told us every time he’s making deliveries on Prince Andrew Drive, he feels for the residents.
“We have a little giggle because we know they don’t want it named that anymore and I wouldn’t either if I lived here. It’s probably time it changed.”
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We did not find anyone on Prince Andrew Drive who disagreed with the King’s decision to remove his titles and oust him from his home in Windsor.
The monarchy needs to retain the support of the public across the UK – that’s one of the reasons the King has taken such decisive action at this point in the scandal.
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