The attraction, set to be constructed on the positioning of the previous Kempston Hardwick brickworks close to Bedford, is anticipated to create about 28,000 jobs.
The corporate’s multi-billion-pound funding will “see Bedford dwelling to one of many greatest leisure parks in Europe, firmly placing the county on the worldwide stage,” Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer stated.
In line with Common Locations and Experiences, about 80 per cent of recent jobs created shall be stuffed by individuals from Bedfordshire and the encompassing areas. The theme park is anticipated to generate employment in tourism, development and even the AI sector.
Though Spain’s PortAventura resort was beforehand co-branded with Common, this new UK website is about to develop into the primary Common theme park in Europe developed completely from scratch.
Building is anticipated to start in 2026, after an in depth planning proposal is submitted to the Authorities.
There are 5 Common theme parks worldwide: Orlando, Hollywood, Japan, Beijing and Singapore. Common’s Hollywood resort attracted 9.66 million guests in 2023, whereas the Orlando website welcomed 9.75 million, in response to the Theme Index Report.
What’s going to the UK’s Common theme park and resort appear to be?
Common Locations & Experiences has proposed a theme park, a retail centre and a 500-room resort.
Common has already bought 476 acres of land on the former brickworks website and will purchase extra to develop the undertaking to round 700 acres, permitting for improved transport hyperlinks and infrastructure.
Whereas Common says it’s “nonetheless too early” to verify which rides and sights will characteristic on the UK park, some clues come from its most up-to-date resort in Beijing. This options rides such because the Transformers Megabase Decepticoaster, the Minions-themed Loop-Dee Doop-Dee and the Kung Fu Panda Land of Awesomeness.
Guests can seemingly count on sights impressed by famend Common franchises resembling Jurassic Park, Jaws and Despicable Me.
Common has additionally introduced plans to construct a brand new railway station on the East West Rail railway line close to the resort and improve Wixams station. There are additionally proposals to assemble devoted slip roads for the A421, which was affected by flooding final October.
The massive-scale improvement has not but obtained planning permission, however has garnered sturdy backing from native authorities officers.
UK’s first Common theme park and resort reality field
- The proposed opening date of Common Studios’ first European theme park is 2031.
- It would embrace a retail centre and a 500-room resort.
- Work is anticipated to start in 2026.
- 476 acres of the previous brickworks website in Bedford are to be reworked, which is empty and derelict.
- 8.5 million guests are anticipated within the first yr of opening.
- The estimated enhance to the UK economic system might attain £50bn over 20 years.
- 20,000 jobs shall be created throughout the development interval. 80 per cent of those employees are set to return from Bedfordshire and the encompassing space.
Tradition Secretary Lisa Nandy credited the Authorities’s dedication to enhancing native transport infrastructure as a key cause the deal might progress.
Mike Cavanagh, president of Comcast Company, stated: “We couldn’t be extra excited to take this essential step in our plan to create and ship an unimaginable Common theme park and resort within the coronary heart of the UK, which enhances our rising US-based parks enterprise by increasing our world footprint to Europe.
“We respect the management and assist of Prime Minister Keir Starmer, Chancellor Rachel Reeves, Minister for Funding Poppy Gustafsson, Tradition Secretary Lisa Nandy and their groups, as we work collectively to create and ship a unbelievable new landmark vacation spot.”
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