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Potential New Universal UK Park

Me???
Pessimist???
Oh you know me well.
But remember, all opinions are sacred, and I have seen it all before, yawn.

Yup, a lifetime of failed promises.
I remember Zeri...just down the road in Accrington, known centre of the entertainment universe.
Was going to be huge.
All the money and the happy council...right next to the M65...nope.
Belle Vue, going to get a massive expansion...likewise Morecambe when it went all wristband...and Granada Studios were going "all rides".
Death to Frontierland, Camelot, the real Southport and Lightwater, SkyTrack at Granada Studios...they all closed behind me.
Central Blackpool site...I have been following it personally, via knowing local uncle, and the Gazette...for half a flipping century.
How many projects?
About twenty.
Actual reality after half a century, in a town geared up to entertainment...a flipping car park.
New shiny tall car park, and I can see the logic, but fifty years of planning and development.
Planning will be the bugger, an application, outline, may go in soon...but it will take time...and the greenies already know how to stick the spanner in, daring to screw up our hobby.
If it was five years, I will probably be a rider.
If ten, I will probably be past it.
So I would prefer early doors, but life experience means progress is often slower in reality than bright thinking, sadly.
Good old "time will tell".
Anything in the twenties is a little optimistic, in reality.
34 would be a realistic target, now I know what year it is.
 
Relife said:
I was about to post the same thing. The private sector are very capable of getting things done it's when the government is more involved when things go wrong or take ages.

The idea we can't build anything in the UK is a bit of press spin that you hear alot these days and seems to be based solely around government infrastructure projects. I'm sure contractors will be lining up for such a huge project.
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The government doesn't build anything themselves, they have no internal construction crew. They are a client with a virtually unlimited budget and bottomless pit of financial resources. It's not surprising that the same construction companies, who can deliver large projects to private clients on time, milk government backed construction for all that it's worth.

That's before we get into the mess that is / was PFI schemes.
 
Good one sir.
Local tycoon, of (I think *Turkish origin), not sure of the trade, wanted to build a large theme park in memory of his youth...
Similar in style to another local, Jack Walker, throwing his wallet at Blackburn Rovers.
Balloon rides, real, tethered and flat ride style... monorail, zoo, circus and canal network, venetian style, planned to tie in to the Leeds/Liverpool canal and M65 around the Blackburn North junction.
Got the council on board, land lined up, general pre planning thumbs up all round.
Then, er, nothing for a year...red tape, declining interest, better offers...to nothing at all.

The only archive will be the Lancashire Evening Telegraph, they covered it in depth, at the time, starting with front page headlines...and I fell for it hook line and sinker.
Around 1980, maybe 85.
Previous searches by my good self came to zero.
Put me off big developments for, ooh, forty years or so.

*Not Turkey, north top left bit of Italy...slow morning google.
 
Jb85 said:
@xtpower this hasn’t even gone through formal planning yet. Anything can happen. I’d imagine it’ll take 18 months from the application to approval. Then a year to put all the contractors together, get concrete plans in place. 2034 may be a bit unrealistic and sarcastic, but I think 2030 is a real push.
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Talking about contractors I assume they’ll be speaking to the government about bringing builders etc in from overseas specifically for this project.

We’re at capacity now in this country when it comes to building work. I don’t really see any way around it other than bringing people in from abroad. Potentially in their thousands.

Bit of an awkward conversation at the minute with recent discussions around immigration, a conversation that will need to be managed.

That will obviously mean there’s additional complexities that need to be ironed out whether it’s visas, tax etc.
 
Relife said:
I think this is pre planned but it will certainly benefit Universal. This is just the start of infrastructure improvements. Once the bridge is done they can hopefully get cracking on that new station
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I think that the start-date change (Nov to Jan) is probably because Network Rail switched to a more acceptable design to suit Universal's needs.

So from this: https://eastwestrail-production.s3....ossing-Closure-Kempston-Hardwick-option-2.pdf

To this: https://eastwestrail-production.s3....ossing-Closure-Kempston-Hardwick-option-3.pdf

As for this bridge being built now because of Universal etc etc, I'm not putting much weight in it, it seems pretty obviously that this bridge was always supposed to go ahead at this time. No, I think the only influence Universal had is in the actual final design they're going with.
 
Bert2theSpark said:
If that was the opportunity to ask about the financial viability of USGB, then that probably assumes confidence with Comcast's spending plans towards the project.
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You know what they say about assume, etc.

I think it presumes ignorance on the average shareholder being aware of the project. If no mention was given to the project at all, that demonstrates how early stages it is, not even a budget has been allocated. If no mention of the project was given at the AGM, it's not even a blip on the radar for the company or in the interests of shareholders generally yet. Excitement levels can definitely come back down again.

Incidentally anyone can buy a share in Comcast, through a broker, and ask for permission to raise a question at the AGM, or sit in on the meeting. Shareholders aren't people with special knowledge of the company or how it works (unless they're a major one), they're simply an investor. Someone who is betting that owning a small part of a percentage of Comcast pays off. In short, they're members of the hoi polloi just like me and thee.
 
GooseOnTheLoose said:
I think it presumes ignorance on the average shareholder being aware of the project. If no mention was given to the project at all, that demonstrates how early stages it is, not even a budget has been allocated. If no mention of the project was given at the AGM, it's not even a blip on the radar for the company or in the interests of shareholders generally yet. Excitement levels can definitely come back down again.
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The average shareholder will probably put their stocks and shares in the hands of investment firms, they will scrutinise and every inch of the financial results to make sure their papers are in order. Also with a company the size of Comcast, there will be journalists diving for inconsistencies also.

If there was a pressing immediate opposition to such a capital intensive product, it would have emerged by now, this is hardly something quiet outside enthusiast circles...
 
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