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Potential New Universal UK Park

I’d be quite happy with a set piece thrill (velocicoaster), family thrill (gringotts) and children’s coaster (wood pecker).

The UK needs more indoor attractions that are different to what’s already here.

Personally I’d be hoping for:

Universal Monsters - thrill
Jurassic Park - family/thrill
Potter (in some form) - family thrill
Paddington - family
Despicable Me - family

And a nod to one of:
BTTF
ET
Jaws
King Kong
 
Would love to see some Universal home bankers eg Jurassic, Nintendo, Potter (if there’s a chance, although it’s been debated to death), mixed with some homage to their classic films (BTTF, Jaws, ET etc), as well as a worlds exclusive, whether that’s Lord of the Rings, Pokemon or anything else that’s been mooted.
 
I don’t quite understand the fascination with Despicable Me—personally, I find the areas dedicated to it in the parks underwhelming, especially when you compare them to what’s been done with lands like How to Train Your Dragon and Nintendo. Those sets really show the potential for immersive experiences.

That said, I’d love to see a thrilling indoor roller coaster similar to The Mummy, but themed to something different. Just imagine a classic monsters coaster—something with a level of horror, now that would be a hit with the UK market
 
They've also lined that rectangle area beyond where they were clearing the other day with concrete blocks. Makes me think they are going to remove all the trees in that area.

*edit* It might be the light but that rectangle lined with conrete blocks seems to have been completely cleared and the ground has had the clumps of grass removed too.
 
I still think the park needs a zone that's unique to Universal UK and that for me would be Lord of the Rings.

Some one pointed out that it may be difficult to theme a Jurassic Park themed area due to many of the plants/ trees associated with that tropical theme being unsuitable for the UK climate. I think there is a point here but we could see a large indoor themed Jurassic Park area Like a large glass dome) which would solve this as well as provide a sizable indoor area
 
rob666 said:
Thorpe has managed very good jungle style planting around Colossus and Inferno.
There are many "jungle style" plants that grow well in this country, too vigorously some of them.
Should not be an issue in the slightest.
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Yep. Beijing has a Jurassic World and it’s hitting minus 8C this week.

There is of course also very convincing replica foliage available.
 
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AT86 said:
You only have to look to Adventure Land at DLP, which has a very similar climate to the UK to see that creating a tropical planting environment can be done.

karibik-1.jpg

adventureland-bazar-22.jpg
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Closer to home, there's The Islands at Chester Zoo, which is a beautifully-themed area already in the UK. It's the best-themed land I've been to in this country, and because it's not at a 'theme park', it never gets discussed by enthusiasts, even though there's a ride in the area. The image below doesn't even do the area justice, the UK can have some really nice themed exotic/tropical areas. Just that UK theme parks can't be bothered to go to those levels of theming because they've not got £30mill+ budgets.

1737898492382.jpeg
 
Bert2theSpark said:
Closer to home, there's The Islands at Chester Zoo, which is a beautifully-themed area already in the UK. It's the best-themed land I've been to in this country, and because it's not at a 'theme park', it never gets discussed by enthusiasts, even though there's a ride in the area. The image below doesn't even do the area justice, the UK can have some really nice themed exotic/tropical areas. Just that UK theme parks can't be bothered to go to those levels of theming because they've not got £30mill+ budgets.

1737898492382.jpeg
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That looks incredible -- is that the same zoo where the new African Savannah area will be?
 
One of the best examples of a tropical vibe in the UK is the park in Bournemouth. The size and appearance of the plants there really evoke the feel of a warmer climate. Similarly, London has a fair number of Canary palms scattered around and they are huge.
to my knowledge , more mature plants tend to survive better in our climate compared to smaller palms, which often get damaged easily. That's why so many palms look tatty and a bit lackluster.

With a Universal-level budget, I imagine they could bring in some large, impressive tropical plants and trees that are also hardy enough to thrive in the UK climate.


Bournemouth
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If the park goes ahead- I would expect that we will see a near copy of the Jurassic World area at Beijing. It’s completely different to what’s in Orlando (something I believe they want to ensure there are differences between a UK park and American parks) features mainly indoor areas and the highly rated Jurassic World adventure dark ride.
 
Matt N said:
the London Resort said that the DCO planning application would take 18 months from submission to approval, so I can imagine that Universal’s process will be similarly rigorous if not more so.
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To be fair I’d imagine Universal’s timescales to be quicker on the basis that they are actually intending to build a theme park which wasn’t the case for the London Resort.
 
xtpower said:
They've also lined that rectangle area beyond where they were clearing the other day with concrete blocks. Makes me think they are going to remove all the trees in that area.

*edit* It might be the light but that rectangle lined with conrete blocks seems to have been completely cleared and the ground has had the clumps of grass removed too.
Click to expand...

Can't see the concrete blocks in any older photos.

I've headed back today and gone to have a look, it has been completely cleared, including some holes dug into it. Filmed the video below rather than photos this time, looks like the trees around have been felled too. The video shows the concrete area and it's proximity to Manor Road.


From: https://youtu.be/Yx88spCt26U
 
siralgenon said:
I think after the success of Wicked we'd see a land devoted to the film(s) as well. Infact I wouldn't be surprised if that because our Wizarding World
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Interestingly enough box office wise the UK had the highest gross for the film internationally outside the US IIRC as well as quite the fanbase in this country so it is possible that might have been a suggestion made in the higher ups.

Plus my nieces love Wicked and if we got that here then they'd be there in a heartbeat.
 
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