There's more brilliant news for UK theme park fans as Universal UK takes another step forward. Following a period of public discussion, Universal has recorded an overwhelmingly positive response to its proposed Bedford park.
Over four weeks, representatives from Universal met with almost 1500 people and 100 local businesses during an in-person exhibition at Bedford College and Kimberley College.
The feedback period ended on 3rd May and today (9th May 2024) Bedford locals have received a letter of appreciation. Universal stated that they received more than “6,000 responses, the overwhelming majority of them from people in the nearby communities, and what we heard was remarkable – just over 92% of people surveyed are supportive of our potential world-class theme park and resort, less than 4% are not supportive, and 4% don’t know.”
Among the small minority of people opposing a Universal park in Bedford, the main concerns were infrastructure investment, such as road and rail improvements, and visual and noise pollution. To combat this, Universal has stated that these are key areas to work on and promised to provide minimal impact on the area if the project goes ahead.
The Next Steps
Universal is deliberately keeping pretty tight-lipped about when we can expect an official confirmation of the project. Over the next couple of months, members of the team will hold conversations with transport authorities and the local and national governments to figure out whether this project can get the green light.
Online speculation has claimed a decision would be reached in the summer months, though it’s likely that a public announcement would not be until late 2024. In the meantime, eager fans can check the UK Universal website for any updates.
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