[🌎 Universal GB] Planning, Transport and Infrastructure

[dave___]

I think it’ll be particularly interesting because we have never really had a theme park built from scratch in England, they’ve all grown out of other ventures across decades (or even centuries) let alone something of this scale.

American Adventure was probably the closest thing and that was almost 40 years ago.

There’s Gulliver’s Valley in Rotherham which used to be an open cast coal mine. Vastly different scale though.

The nerd in me is going to be fascinated at the logistics, having been involved in numerous motorway upgrades in my past life the type and scale of machinery that exists that no one really knows about is crazy.

 

[jon81uk]

Enabling works take ages as that’s all the ground levelling and so on, and infra/utility works take _bloody ages_ as they may need more specialist teams.

and the utility works are probably the most important part, you don't want a park full of guests flushing the toilets for the first time that season and it flooding underneath your new ride.

 

[jon81uk]

I think it’ll be particularly interesting because we have never really had a theme park built from scratch in England, they’ve all grown out of other ventures across decades (or even centuries) let alone something of this scale.

American Adventure was probably the closest thing and that was almost 40 years ago.

and the original Thorpe Park had a similar beginning to American Adventure, they were both former quarries. Thorpe of course then got a significant amount of new hardware when Tussauds took over in the 2000s.

 

[AT86]

and the utility works are probably the most important part, you don't want a park full of guests flushing the toilets for the first time that season and it flooding underneath your new ride.

As if any theme park operator could be THAT bad…

 

[rob666]

New parks from scratch...and Camelot.
Built from scratch on the old Arena North site...Good old It's a Knockout site.
And the stage set for International Velvet with Liz Taylor...you could still see some of the horseriding jumps when it was Camelot.

 

[Ash]

Well good to know my workplace has chucked our hat into the ring. Intrigued to see what comes next

 

[Bowser]

and the original Thorpe Park had a similar beginning to American Adventure, they were both former quarries. Thorpe of course then got a significant amount of new hardware when Tussauds took over in the 2000s.

Thorpe was still more of a gradual transition, it was a water sports parks then more of a fairground/farm still with the focus on the water activities, it was a year or so till they had anything resembling theme park rides. I remember going and we'd just go on the boats and the train to the farm, have a picnic, watch the water skiing and that was basically the day. I think there was a model village too.

American Adventure opened with a lot of major attractions, it was really exciting seeing the maps advertising it in motorway service stations.

Universal opening an entire park with likely many of the best attractions and theming this country has ever seen will be quite the moment in history!

 

[The_bup]

and the utility works are probably the most important part, you don't want a park full of guests flushing the toilets for the first time that season and it flooding underneath your new ride.

It really feels like your feet are going to crack against the ro-

…

Oh..

 

[rob@rar]

The government has published a "statement of reasons" explaining the conduct of the consultation on Universal's planning application, a summary of consultation responses, the main considerations they took in to account when examining the planning application, the environmental effects and monitoring and mitigation of the parks construction and operations when reaching their decision to approve the planning application. You can see the statement of reasons here. 've not read it word for word as It's quite lengthy, and it's probably for planning permission geeks only.

 

[xtpower]

The government has published a "statement of reasons" explaining the conduct of the consultation on Universal's planning application, a summary of consultation responses, the main considerations they took in to account when examining the planning application, the environmental effects and monitoring and mitigation of the parks construction and operations when reaching their decision to approve the planning application. You can see the statement of reasons here. 've not read it word for word as It's quite lengthy, and it's probably for planning permission geeks only.

I'm perusing it now. Right from the off there was lots of support.

Of the circa 400 Citizen Space survey responses, around 75% supported the development, around 16% objected and the rest were neutral. Two-thirds of online respondents said they lived locally.

I expected the approval to drop quite a bit from the Universal public consultation, as it seems the NIMBY's basically ignored it because they thought the project was never gonna happen.

*edit* Not sure whether positive or negative, but EWR are adamant that Universal leave the 'safe-guarded land alone'.

“…must not include development on any part of the EWR Safeguarded Land unless the details of such development have been approved by the Secretary of State for Transport following engagement with EWR.”

When read in conjunction with EWR company’s aspirations of developing a station by 2040, this amounted to a request to sterilise all safeguarded land within the site prior to, and even indefinitely beyond, 2040 unless approval is given by the Secretary of State for Transport. This would mean that two Secretaries of State would need to agree to any development on the safeguarded land.

*2nd edit* Going through it and there were not alot of objectors (still got loads to go through). But ASDA actually objected.

ASDA objected to the development on the grounds that the proposals had not adequately demonstrated that they would be safe from a traffic management and safety or a health and safety perspective. The response also suggests that there has not been sufficient evidence that the proposals are satisfactory from an environmental health and existing business operation perspective. Specific concerns include highway safety; danger from hazardous substances; and conflict with the established environmental health regime.

*3rd edit* This probably the most pertinent section for those who are worried for other UK Parks.

It is not expected that the proposed ERC would materially divert trade from other existing theme parks in the UK, which are aimed at a different market and provide an entirely different experience in terms of scale and nature.

It seems the prevailing thought here is that the other UK Parks can co-exist with UNiversal.

 

[jon81uk]

Going through it and there were not alot of objectors (still got loads to go through). But ASDA actually objected.

Asda, Argos & Sainsbury's all have large warehouses nearby so its understandable they would be concerned about traffic.

 

[Fuct]

I'm perusing it now. Right from the off there was lots of support.



I expected the approval to drop quite a bit from the Universal public consultation, as it seems the NIMBY's basically ignored it because they thought the project was never gonna happen.

*edit* Not sure whether positive or negative, but EWR are adamant that Universal leave the 'safe-guarded land alone'.



*2nd edit* Going through it and there were not alot of objectors (still got loads to go through). But ASDA actually objected.

*3rd edit* This probably the most pertinent section for those who are worried for other UK Parks.

It seems the prevailing thought here is that the other UK Parks can co-exist with UNiversal.

You can see the EWR land on this document

https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/6859669af05cab1603ade641/15_-_1.15.0_-_Parameter_Plans__U2013_East_West_Rail_Safeguarded_Land.pdf

 

[Ted]

Some news about Wixams station and how Bedford will need an additional 32 million to get it to the 4 platform station https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c17zxe10jpzo

Bedford Borough Council will not be reimbursed for an estimated £32.1m that it spent preparing for and building a railway station, councillors have been told.

The construction of the two-platform station at Wixams was halted once it was decided that four platforms were needed to cater for the new Universal theme park.

The council terminated its contract with Network Rail, and the Department for Transport (DfT) has now tasked the government agency with starting the project again.

Jo Branson-Budd, head of capital projects at the council, told committee members that money already spent on the project would not be reimbursed by the DfT.
A DfT spokesperson said it was "clear" a much larger station was needed, and that Bedford council had started its own work "at their own risk".

According to the Local Democracy Reporting Service, construction of the council-led station began in September 2024 and work was halted after the government backed the Universal project in April 2025.

The council had budgeted £62.6m for the original railway station plan. The four-platform railway station will be more costly.

Branson-Budd explained that £32.1m was the forecast total cost to the council from 2018 onwards, but said the final figure would not be known for up to 12 months.
"[The costs] are starting to slow down now," she said, speaking at the council's environment and sustainable communities overview and scrutiny committee on Thursday.

"We have a very experienced cost consultant who challenges [costs] to the hilt.

"[Network Rail] commented that they've never actually quite been challenged to this degree before.
"But that is the forecast worst case scenario.

"The trajectory was far worse than that, and the costs are coming down."

Conservative councillor Graeme Coombes asked if any of the £32m could be recharged to the DfT.

Ms Branson-Budd replied: "No, we won't get any reimbursement, however we will save the cost of completing the works that were started."

A DfT Spokesperson said: "Bedford Borough Council decided to start work on the two-platform station with their own funding, at their own risk.

"As Bedford will be the new home to one of the biggest entertainment parks in Europe, it's clear that a much larger station will be needed to support thousands of jobs, opportunities and growth."

Should have been built with 4 platforms with the get go before Universal came into the frame

 

[Blackrock]

That reads like it cost the council 32 million up to this point before Universal became involved and that money won’t be reimbursed by the DtF.

If there’s one thing that’s going to go way over budget/take ages to build it’ll be this. Going to be at least £500M imo and I think I’m probably being quite conservative with that.

 

[GooseOnTheLoose]

Some news about Wixams station and how Bedford will need an additional 32 million to get it to the 4 platform station https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c17zxe10jpzo

Should have been built with 4 platforms with the get go before Universal came into the frame

With the greatest of respect, why?

Wixams was originally designed to serve a housing development, not a global tourist destination. A two platform commuter station on the Midland Main Line is entirely sufficient for the local population. Building a massive four platform interchange capable of handling 12 million visitors a year, for a housing estate that didn't yet have a theme park attached to it, would have been a gross misuse of public funds and a white elephant of epic proportions.

The Council were building what was needed for their residents. The goalposts didn't just move, they were dug up and relocated to a different stadium by a multi billion dollar American conglomerate.

That reads like it cost the council 32 million up to this point before Universal became involved and that money won’t be reimbursed by the DtF.

If there’s one thing that’s going to go way over budget/take ages to build it’ll be this. Going to be at least £500M imo and I think I’m probably being quite conservative with that.

The sheer audacity of the Department for Transport's statement is breathtaking. "Bedford Borough Council decided to start work... at their own risk."

The "risk" they took was attempting to deliver essential public transport infrastructure for their constituents, after decades of delays. They are now being penalised £32 million, a sum which would bankrupt many local authorities, effectively for the crime of trying to get a station built before Universal turned up and demanded a bigger one.

Looking at the balance sheet...

Universal / Comcast get a bespoke, government backed, four platform super station to funnel customers directly into their profit centre.

The Local Taxpayer gets a £32 million hole in their council budget, paying for design work and foundations that will now be ripped up and thrown in a skip.

The state bends over backwards to accommodate the corporate giant, while the local public purse is left holding the bag for the "optimised" infrastructure.

 

[Blackrock]

They should be kicking up a fuss about it, hopefully they do because the money should be paid back. We all know Universal were looking at this site and chose it long before the station was started, the station would have happened eventually anyway due to Universal.

 

[WanderingNortherner]

The Council have the S106 money to build the station but now can't use it to cover the costs because they didn't build a station.

This has been doomed since the start, the costs have gone through the roof: https://www.bedfordtoday.co.uk/news...-in-2026-as-cost-rises-by-ps30million-4673698

And even when they agreed to a £30m increase in cost, it rose by £3.6m again - despite likely everyone at the council knowing how far Universal were along with land acquisitions https://www.bedfordindependent.co.uk/were-being-done-over-wixams-station-cost-increase-again/

The shocker here is this station should've been build years ago.

 

[Blackrock]

The Council have the S106 money to build the station but now can't use it to cover the costs because they didn't build a station.

This has been doomed since the start, the costs have gone through the roof: https://www.bedfordtoday.co.uk/news...-in-2026-as-cost-rises-by-ps30million-4673698

And even when they agreed to a £30m increase in cost, it rose by £3.6m again - despite likely everyone at the council knowing how far Universal were along with land acquisitions https://www.bedfordindependent.co.uk/were-being-done-over-wixams-station-cost-increase-again/

The shocker here is this station should've been build years ago.

How much was the original station supposed to cost?

 

[WanderingNortherner]

How much was the original station supposed to cost?

“When the council first agreed Wixams Station back in 2018 [there was an estimated] cost of £27 million."

October 2024

Yesterday, £32m later.

 

[Blackrock]

“When the council first agreed Wixams Station back in 2018 [there was an estimated] cost of £27 million."

October 2024

Yesterday, £32m later.

Typical public sector budgets, always low balling the actual costs.

A local station near me (a small tiny city stop before the main station) was going to have a new lift installed, some improvements and that was going to cost £10M. Even that’s been scrapped because the council don’t have the money for it.

How they ever thought that station was going to cost such a low amount is baffling, but then they probably knew that and plowed ahead anyway hoping they’d get funds from central government or whatever else.