Universal theme park deal secured with UK pledge to spend £500m on transport | Theme parks
By: Mark Sweney | Published: 2025-06-25 13:17:00 | Source: www.theguardian.com
The deal to build Universal’s new theme park in Bedford was secured with a package of support that included £500m of public investment in rail and road infrastructure, it has emerged.
Comcast, the parent company of Universal, is in negotiations over the final scale of the overall government assistance, which could be expanded beyond infrastructure investment.
The entertainment company, which had been considering a number of countries to build the theme park, announced in April that it would build the attraction on a 192-hectare (476-acre) site at the former Kempston Hardwick brickworks.
The significant government offer of financial support for the project comes amid a push by Keir Starmer and the chancellor, Rachel Reeves, to kickstart sluggish economic growth.
The approximately half a…
