Universal has revealed the first major contractors and consultants appointed to its £5 billion theme park and resort in Bedford, providing the clearest indication yet of the scale of the construction team being assembled for one of the UK’s most significant leisure developments.
Bovis, Galliford Try, Morgan Sindall, Careys, Sir Robert McAlpine, Wates and Winvic are among 23 businesses appointed to support delivery of the Universal United Kingdom Resort, which will transform the former Kempston Hardwick brickworks site south of Bedford.
Individual construction packages and contract values have yet to be announced, but the appointments bring together some of the UK’s largest contractors alongside an extensive professional and technical consultancy team.
Consultants and specialists involved include Arcadis, AtkinsRéalis, Buro Happold, Gensler, Gillespies, Gleeds, Mace Consult, Mott MacDonald, Arup, Rider Levett Bucknall and Ridge and Partners. Other specialists appointed include Blumano, Brindle & Green, Oxford Archaeology, Pinsent Masons and Wilson James.
Businesses involved during the feasibility and planning stages have also included WSP, LDA Design, SLR Consulting, DWD Property and Planning and Town Legal, with a number continuing to support the project as it moves towards full construction.
Enabling works are already under way across the 476-acre site, ahead of a five-year main construction programme that is expected to gather significant momentum.
Comcast NBCUniversal has committed more than £5 billion to delivering the destination, while the Government is supporting the wider development with £1.3 billion of investment in road, rail and local infrastructure.
Scheduled to open in 2031, the development will become Universal’s first branded theme park and resort in Europe. Plans include several themed lands containing major rides and attractions, alongside a 500-room hotel and an extensive retail, dining and entertainment destination.
The project is therefore set to create a substantial pipeline of work extending well beyond the initial contractor appointments, encompassing everything from major infrastructure and structural construction to complex M&E, specialist fit-out, façades, landscaping, hospitality interiors and highly specialised themed environments.
Planning permission has been secured through a Special Development Order, allowing the ambitious programme to progress.
Universal estimates that the resort could generate around £50 billion in economic benefit, with approximately 20,000 jobs supported during construction and 8,000 direct jobs once operational.
The scale of the Bedford development is expected to have a major impact on the regional construction and property market, while creating significant opportunities for contractors, consultants, manufacturers and specialist supply chain businesses over the coming years.
With enabling works progressing and the first major delivery partners now confirmed, the Universal United Kingdom Resort is moving firmly from planning into delivery, beginning the transformation of a former industrial site into one of Europe’s most ambitious new leisure and hospitality destinations.
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