Universal Studios buys old Bedfordshire brickworks land for possible new theme park and resort

Universal Studios - the company behind Harry Potter and Oppenheimer - has bought a massive plot of land for a possible new theme park and resort in the UK.

The movie giant confirmed it owned a site just outside Bedford and was in the "early stages of exploring its feasibility".

The reported 480-acre site, at Stewartby, is part of a former brickworks which was once the biggest in the world, producing up to 500 million bricks a year.

A spokesman for Universal Studios said: "We recently acquired land in Bedford and are at the early stages of exploring its feasibility for a potential park and resort at this site.

"It will be many months before we are ready to make a decision to proceed and we look forward to engaging with all relevant stakeholders and the local community."

Universal already has theme parks in Orlando and Hollywood in the United States, Singapore and Japan and is now looking for new locations.

The studio believes the land at Bedford has potential because of its "excellent transportation connectivity to London and Europe, with more than half of the UK population within two hours".

The site is just half an hour from Luton Airport and is nestled between two railway stations on the Bedford to London line. The M1 is just a few minutes away.

Universal's spokesman added: "We support Bedford's vision of becoming a prosperous place to live, work and visit."

Stewartby brickworks closed in 2008 after more than 100 years. In 1936, while owned by London Brick Company, it was recognised as the largest brickworks in the world and employed 2,000 people.

Universal is already familiar with Bedfordshire, having filmed a number of its blockbusters just a few miles from Stewartby at Cardington Studios - including Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them and Christophe Nolan's Inception.

Bedford mayor Tom Wootton welcomed the news, and said: “The suggestion of a major business investment is of course positive, nevertheless these are early days and much detailed work is required before any decisions are made.

“We very much welcome and are excited by the interest from Universal and the immense potential for it to be transformative for the borough. We’re committed to ensure that any plans align with the best interests of our residents.” 

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