Why is Universal's newest theme park coming to this English town? — In Case You Missed It

[0:00] Strap in, we're going for a ride. [0:04] Universal is coming to Bedford. [0:07] Yes, Bedford. [0:10] A multi-billion pound theme park and resort [0:14] dropped into a field in England. [0:20] We're talking rides. [0:22] Themed lands, hotels, the full Hollywood treatment. [0:26] But here's the question. [0:27] What happens when a US mega resort [0:29] lands in a quiet English town? [0:31] From BBC News, I'm Lily May. [0:39] First things first, where is Bedford? [0:41] I hear you ask. [0:42] Well, it's an English market town [0:44] about 50 miles north of London [0:46] in the county of Bedfordshire, [0:48] with a population of just under 200,000 people. [0:52] Universal already has resorts in Orlando [0:54] and Hollywood in the US, Osaka in Japan, [0:57] Beijing in China, and Sentosa in Singapore. [1:01] They're all pretty exotic locations. [1:03] So when Bedford was announced, [1:05] there was a lot of excitement. [1:12] This is just fantastic news. [1:16] I am so excited for this news. [1:19] It's incredibly exciting as a theme park fan. [1:21] And some surprise. [1:23] No way the UK is getting a Universal Studio theme park. [1:26] I've seen quite a few people confused [1:27] because they're building this in Bedford. [1:29] I mean, who goes to Bedford? [1:31] But I'm interested in this. [1:32] So why Bedford? [1:34] Well, to be specific, [1:35] it's actually a place called Kempson Hardwick. [1:38] Its geography might have a part to play. [1:40] Bedfordshire.org described their county as [1:43] an essential hub for connectivity, [1:45] situated conveniently between London and the Midlands. [1:48] By train, that's an hour from central London. [1:51] And the UK government clearly approve of the location too, [1:55] as they've granted Universal planning permission [1:58] by way of special development order [1:59] to kickstart the project. [2:01] Right now, the details about the park are very hush-hush, [2:05] but we know one thing's for sure. [2:06] It's going to be huge. [2:09] This is an artist's impression of the site, [2:11] which is planned to be just under 500 acres. [2:15] And it sounds like it's going to need all that space [2:18] because Universal expect it to attract [2:20] eight and a half million visitors [2:22] in its first year alone. [2:23] After 20 years, [2:25] they think it could attract 12 million visitors per year, [2:29] ranking it among the top 10 most visited theme parks [2:32] in the world. [2:33] Impressive. [2:34] So, what's happening on the site right now? [2:37] Hello, Lily. [2:38] Just give me two minutes, [2:40] because I've got to traverse this plank first. [2:43] I'll call you back. [2:43] Right, okay. [2:45] While he traverses that plank, [2:47] I'll explain why I called him. [2:49] Dan is a creator who lives basically next door to the site. [2:53] He's been updating his followers on the progress [2:56] since the news broke, [2:57] so I sent him a list of questions. [2:59] Hello, Lily. [3:00] Funnily enough, I'm actually walking directly towards [3:03] the site of the new Universal Studios theme park [3:06] coming to Kempston, Bedford. [3:08] I'm literally here right now, [3:10] and that behind me is where the theme park is going to be. [3:14] The history of this site is very interesting indeed, [3:16] because it used to be, many years ago, [3:19] the former brickworks here in Kempston, [3:21] a very integral part of the brick-making industry. [3:24] And once that closed, [3:25] it was basically left as just completely muddy fields, [3:30] until a few projects were lined up here and there, [3:33] maybe something will come to this field. [3:35] Nothing ever happened. [3:36] They all fell through until Universal Studios came, [3:40] and they're clearly underway building it. [3:42] There is a lot going on behind me, [3:43] and I'm gonna have to show you what's happening. [3:46] So if I zoom on in for you right here, [3:48] as you can see, loads of fencing [3:50] all along the entire site of this future theme park. [3:55] And then we have loads of construction machinery [3:57] that's actually working right now, as you can see. [3:59] Very exciting. [4:01] Proves they are well underway with this project. [4:03] The transportation around this site is absolutely amazing, [4:06] and it's perfect for what they want to do [4:08] and achieve with this theme park. [4:10] They've got two railway lines [4:11] that run very close to the site. [4:13] They're in fact building a brand new railway station on site, [4:17] and they'll also be using roads from the A421. [4:20] There is gonna be so many different ways [4:22] of getting here from London [4:23] and just everywhere around the country. [4:26] Okay, Dan is clearly excited about this, [4:28] and he's not alone. [4:29] There's been a lot of online chat and speculation [4:31] about what's actually gonna be there. [4:33] Yeah, see, that's the interesting part now, [4:35] is what rides are we going to see in this theme park? [4:38] What films of Universals [4:40] are they going to make into roller coasters? [4:43] We don't know yet. [4:44] Of course, we have that one concept art [4:45] released from the original announcement, [4:48] and as amazing as it looks, it'll probably change a lot. [4:51] But from that, we can sort of speculate [4:53] around what themes we might be getting, [4:54] such as Back to the Future, Jurassic Park, [4:57] maybe even the likes of Shrek, [4:59] Lord of the Rings has been mentioned a lot, [5:01] and even some British IPs like James Bond and Paddington. [5:05] That would be amazing to see here in Bedford. [5:07] Of course, they're well known for the likes [5:09] of Nintendo World or Harry Potter. [5:11] We don't know if we're gonna get that. [5:12] We don't even know if we're gonna get any of the ones [5:14] I just mentioned at all. [5:16] Gonna pause you there, Dan. [5:18] I do have some inside information about this. [5:21] My colleague, Danny Fallbrook, has reported extensively [5:24] on the plans for Universal in Bedford. [5:27] He spoke to an unnamed source close to the project, [5:30] who insisted contracts have been signed in reference [5:34] to blockbuster films appearing at the park. [5:37] But you didn't hear that from me. [5:38] Okay, I'm a horse. [5:40] Hello again. [5:41] I'm down here at the other end of the site now. [5:43] There's still quite a lot going on, [5:45] which is why I'm a bit quieter. [5:46] You can hear how much is happening. [5:48] There is a pretty main road right there, [5:51] and there's a lot of road works going on. [5:52] So it's very busy down here. [5:54] Tree clearances have been happening. [5:56] There's a lot of trees missing now. [5:58] Opening up this site even more, [5:59] so we'll be able to see it even better. [6:01] And loads of site offices as well, where they are gonna work [6:05] from whilst this entire theme park is built [6:07] on the other side of the road. [6:08] I'm gonna be here a lot. [6:09] Being local, oh, I'm so excited. [6:12] So it's great news for theme park enthusiasts. [6:15] And from what we've heard so far, [6:17] it does sound like there's a lot to be excited about. [6:20] But when a project this big comes to town, [6:24] it obviously raises important questions. [6:26] Who benefits? [6:27] And can existing infrastructure cope? [6:30] Take housing, for example. [6:32] Millions of visitors and tens of thousands of new jobs [6:35] will also mean an increased demand for property. [6:38] More demand for property often means higher prices. [6:42] Campaign groups, like Generation Rent, [6:45] have warned this might push prices up. [6:48] Homeowners could make money by using their home [6:50] as short-term let, but more holiday homes [6:52] could also mean reduced availability for local renters. [6:56] And then there's, well, the sewage. [6:59] Yep, the poo. [7:02] Eight million more people are going to be using the toilet [7:05] every year and Bedford Water Treatment Centre say [7:08] they'll not be able to cope without a major upgrade. [7:12] Right now, they process about 35 million litres of waste water a day. [7:18] That's about 14 Olympic-sized swimming pools. [7:21] Universal could add more than 10.6 million litres a day on top of that. [7:27] The regulator Ofwatt have already granted permission [7:30] for a 70 to 80 million pound expansion [7:33] funded through a rise in customer bills. [7:36] Anglian Water say Universal will pay their fair share [7:39] of development costs. [7:41] But with the park opening in five years, [7:44] that timeline is pretty tight. [7:46] Let's ring Olly Mann. [7:47] He's the host of a BBC podcast all about the project [7:51] and spent months chatting to people living there [7:53] when it was first announced. [7:55] You know, it's interesting making this show. [7:57] I, you know, it was a show for the BBC. [7:59] I wanted to be absolutely sure that we were reflecting [8:01] genuine concerns from people who didn't want this park to be there. [8:04] It's not a piece of marketing and advertising [8:07] for the fact that Universal's coming into town. [8:09] And so we deliberately set out and invited people on air [8:12] to tell us if they were not keen on this new development [8:15] coming to Bedfordshire. [8:16] They didn't want it here for whatever reason. [8:18] They don't like a big American company [8:19] coming over to their town. [8:20] They don't want to ruin the landscape [8:22] in this beautiful part of the world they live in. [8:24] And what was extraordinary was the stats [8:27] that Universal put out there themselves, [8:29] which is that they'd done an initial consultation [8:31] whereby 90% of the people polled were enthusiastic, [8:35] was more or less what was reflected when we walked around. [8:38] Walking around areas like Stuart Bee and Wixom's, [8:41] areas that are going to be completely transformed [8:43] by the arrival of this thing in their backyard. [8:45] There was some scepticism that the promises would be delivered, [8:50] but there was, I would say, an enthusiasm [8:52] which did tally with around 90% of the people we spoke to, [8:54] which was, if they deliver what they say they're going to, [8:59] then this is definitely an improvement for the area. [9:01] And we're really excited to have it here, [9:03] which was really surprising to see. [9:04] And there was genuine enthusiasm from everyone we spoke to. [9:07] And for people as well who have bought properties in the area, [9:11] where you might think they're going to be thinking, [9:13] this is going to clog up my driveway, [9:15] this is going to be a problem for the train. [9:17] Actually, generally, their feeling was, [9:19] this is going to put up the value of my property, [9:21] and I can offer it up as an Airbnb when I'm not living in it. [9:24] And this is going to be somewhere for my kids to work. [9:26] So almost everyone that we spoke to [9:28] was cautiously enthusiastic about this. [9:32] There were some people we spoke to who had concerns [9:34] about access for children with special needs [9:37] and people with disabilities. [9:38] You know, what's the point of building this huge thing [9:40] in my backyard if I can't go to it? [9:41] My family can't use it. [9:43] But again, looking at the record that Universal has in Florida, [9:47] where their disabled access for all of their rides [9:50] and entertainments is really incredible. [9:52] I mean, they will stop a ride to get wheelchairs on and off [9:55] in a way that everyone else on the ride doesn't even notice. [9:58] I think that can easily be translated over to the UK. [10:00] And actually, again, the answer is not only will they be accommodated, [10:04] I think it's quite likely it will be the best experience [10:07] for people with special needs and disabilities [10:09] out of any of the UK theme parks. [10:11] So yeah, quite a lot of cautious optimism, I'd say. [10:14] From your point of view, what are some of the benefits [10:17] of bringing Universal to Bedfordshire? [10:19] This is an enormous economic investment into the home counties. [10:24] It's going to create tens of thousands of jobs. [10:26] It's going to put Bedford on the map [10:27] as an international tourist destination for local residents. [10:30] It's going to mean an expanded railway station and new slip roads. [10:34] It's going to mean British employees trained in US style customer service, [10:38] which they can then move on to in other companies. [10:40] And it's going to mean an attraction that for theme park nerds [10:44] is something that we've been crying out for for decades. [10:47] A theme park in England that is finally as good [10:50] as the ones in France and Spain and Germany. [10:52] Totally. And you yourself are a big theme park fan. [10:57] You've been to Universal in Orlando. [10:59] Do you think Bedfordshire has got what it takes to be the next Orlando? [11:03] You know, there's a certain laughter that comes [11:06] when you tell people that Bedford is the next Orlando. [11:09] But you have to remember that 60 years ago, Orlando was the next Orlando. [11:15] It was just swamps and citrus groves and amazing nature there, [11:19] alligators and stuff. [11:20] But, you know, for tourists, virtually nothing. [11:23] Almost you'd go as far to say an inhospitable place to go. [11:28] And now it is the number one most visited destination in the United States. [11:31] And that happened purely because the Walt Disney Company decided [11:35] to put Disney World there and then everything sprang out afterwards. [11:38] And Universal's obviously been part of that story in Orlando. [11:42] And them coming to Bedfordshire shouldn't just be seen [11:45] as them building a theme park. [11:49] This they've talked about in terms of being a 100-year plan. [11:53] And it is quite conceivable to imagine 100 years hence, [11:57] this being not just one theme park, but three or four parks [12:00] owned by whatever the Universal company is then. [12:03] With attendant hotels and tourist facilities, restaurants, [12:06] leisure activities, transport links. [12:09] I think this really could put Bedfordshire on the map. [12:13] Not just in the UK, for people who want a world-class theme park [12:17] somewhere in England, but actually for people all across Europe [12:20] who might start to see Bedfordshire as a holiday destination, [12:24] or at least the home counties for theme park sort of film nerds, [12:29] where you do one day stop off at the Harry Potter studio tour, [12:32] also in Hertfordshire, and one day in Bedfordshire [12:35] at the Universal Park. [12:36] And I think that's a very realistic prospect within the next six years. [12:41] OK, so we'll have Universal in Bedfordshire, [12:44] Harry Potter Studios in Hertfordshire. [12:46] And if we zoom out a little further, [12:48] we can see there's a lot going on in the area. [12:51] Currently, within 90 minutes of each other, you've got Legoland Windsor, [12:55] Thorpe Park, Chessington World of Adventures and Poulton's Park. [13:00] Home to Peppa Pig. [13:01] Icon. [13:03] Not only is Universal coming to Bedford, [13:06] there's also plans for a live-action history park near Bicester, [13:09] complete with medieval battles and plans for a huge indoor water park, [13:13] which have been submitted near Hampshire. [13:15] So, is the southeast of England becoming a theme park hub? [13:19] It kind of is. [13:20] Who needs Florida? [13:22] Right, I've got to go. [13:23] But if you want to read more about the Universal Bedford plans, [13:27] the BBC has done loads of reporting on it. [13:30] Just head to the BBC News app or website to read more. [13:33] From me, that's all for now. [13:35] Thanks for watching.