When Universal Studios announced that it was building its first theme park in Europe, the people of Bedford were astonished to learn that their town was considered the equivalent of Los Angeles and Beijing.
The owners of the brand are now seeking Bedford residents’ opinions on how they should build their park in a way that “celebrates this area’s vibrant history”.
It is not yet clear what vibrant history Universal Studios is hoping to celebrate, although among the town’s claims to fame are its 18th-century lace industry and hosting John Bunyan while he wrote The Pilgrim’s Progress during his imprisonment in Bedford Gaol.
Histories of Bedford tend to linger on its destruction. The first record of Bedfordshire’s existence was when King Canute “laid waste” to it in 1016. Its 12th-century castle is now a mound after its destruction at the hands of Henry III in 1224.
NBC Universal, which released further details of the park on Monday, said that if its feasibility study is positive, it would like to “design select food and drink facilities and attractions with Bedford’s town history in mind”.
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The only idea put forward in the consultation document is that buildings would incorporate bricks left on the site from when it was a brickworks. The works were demolished in 1980 when a demolition crew toppled the final 18 chimneys on a site that once had 167.
Although the company said that it was too early to announce what attractions it would include, it said that visitors to other Universal Studios parks found themselves “chased by velociraptors, fending off an alien attack or escaping an indoor tomb”.
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Universal’s other parks include attractions based on Jurassic Park, Jaws, ET, The Fast and the Furious, Transformers and The Simpsons.
The company already owns 476 acres and has an option to increase it to 700 for a site that would make it larger than its 415-acre park in Hollywood.
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It declared that if it does proceed, it will provide “emotionally fulfilling moments” in “beautifully designed and landscaped areas”.
It promised support for local wildlife sites at former industrial pits, such as Kempston Hardwick Pit, and to plant thousands of trees along its perimeter.
The company said that light and sound pollution would be minimal because each of the zones would be designed so that they did not interfere with each other.
“A land at a Universal theme park cannot be an immersive experience if the music from the land next door is heard,” said a spokesman. “That is why we design our lands and use advanced technology to focus all the sound and light effects inwardly.”
The park would also create an expected 8,000 jobs, rising to 10,000 after 20 years, three quarters of which would go to residents of Bedford, Luton and Milton Keynes.
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They also promised to limit the heights of buildings to 75m, although rides could go as high as 115m.
The proposed park would be 40 miles from Watford, which appeared abruptly on tourist maps in 2012 when it opened the Making of Harry Potter studio tour.
However, plans are yet to be confirmed. Another theme park near Dartford in Kent with ties to Paramount was mooted in 2012 but appears to have been axed after the company behind the development fell into administration.
Bedford residents appear to have been stunned by the prospect of a theme park on the outskirts of a town whose current top ten visitor attractions, according to Tripadvisor, is led by a pick-your-own chilli tunnel. Also on the list is the Panacea Museum, which tells the story of an early 20th century Christian group, and a birds of prey centre featuring owls, hawks and pelicans.
Residents have until May 3 to influence the project by filling in a questionnaire.
Bedford v Orlando
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Population
Bedford: 185,300 (2021)
Orlando: 2.1 million (metropolitan area)
First settled:
Bedford: 10th century
Orlando: 1843
Oldest castle
Bedford: Bedford Castle, 12th century
Orlando: Cinderella Castle, Magic Kingdom, 1971
Highest-rated tourist attraction on Tripadvisor
Bedford: Edible Ornamentals pick-your-own chilli farm
Orlando: Universal Islands of Adventure
Notable residents
Bedford: John Bunyan
Orlando: Wesley Snipes
