The UK’s first Universal Studios theme park has been granted planning permission by the government to begin construction.
The attraction, which is being part-funded with £500m of public investment in rail and road infrastructure, will be built on the site of a former brickworks near Bedford.
Comcast, the parent company of Universal and owner of Sky, sought planning permission through a special development order (SDO), which allows the government to approve the project directly and bypass normal local planning procedures.
On Tuesday, the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) approved the plans. While the SDO comes into force from 12 January, a parliamentary review period must still be completed.
Mohammad Yasin, the local Labour MP, said the approval was a “landmark moment for Bedford and the wider region”, and would be “transformational and felt for decades to come”.
Comcast, which had been considering a number of countries in which to build its first theme park in Europe, intends to open the park in 2031.
Earlier this year, Universal said the theme park would be “unlike anything that exists in the UK” and could feature the tallest rides in Europe with height limits of up to 115 metres.
The government, which is seeking to kickstart economic growth, has forecast that the theme park will attract more than 8 million visitors a year and provide a £50bn boost to Britain’s economy.
Universal has said the theme park will create 20,000 jobs in the construction phase, and 8,000 operational roles once up and running.
“In the months ahead, we are committed to sharing progress as well as what to expect including job opportunities and how local businesses and suppliers can potentially work with us,” said Universal in a letter published on Tuesday. “The interest and support we’ve already seen from both local companies and residents has been incredibly encouraging.”
In April, the government overruled planning inspectors and approved an almost doubling of capacity at Luton airport, which is expected to be one of the main air hubs used by visitors to the park.
Last year, Bedford borough council entered an agreement with Network Rail to construct a two-platform station at Wixams. However, it was put on hold to allow a bigger station to be built at the same site to accommodate Universal.
Last month, East West Rail Company said another new railway station would be built to serve the park in Stewartby. The station will be part of the East West Rail (EWR) line, which aims to connect Oxford to Cambridge, via Milton Keynes and Bedford.
