What is being built in Bedford?

Universal United Kingdom Resort — a theme park with several themed lands, a 500-room hotel, and a retail, dining and entertainment district, on the former London Brick Company brickfields at Kempston Hardwick. It is the first Universal-branded theme park and resort in the UK and Europe.

2031. The Special Development Order permitting it came into force on 2026-01-12 and enabling works began the same month, giving a construction programme of roughly five years.

How many jobs will it create?

Around 20,000 during construction and roughly 8,000 permanent roles once it is operating. Universal has pledged that about 80 per cent of employees will come from Bedfordshire and the surrounding areas.

Is this site run by Universal?

No. We are completely independent and not affiliated with Universal, Comcast or NBCUniversal. Everything we say about the project comes from public sources, which we link. For official news, go to universalukproject.co.uk.

How do I get my business listed?

Tell us about it and we will write the listing for you. Free for the first businesses to join, and always clearly labelled as a paid listing once it is. We never take a cut of your trade and we do not sell anything to residents.

Independent · Bedford · Kempston Hardwick

A town of 100,000 is about to build something for 20,000

Universal is building its first UK resort on the old brickfields at Kempston Hardwick. This is the independent local guide to what that means for Bedford — what’s being built, what’s changing, and the businesses worth knowing if you’ve just arrived.

The local directory What’s being built

A row of tall brick chimneys on the skyline beyond flooded clay pits at the old brickworks — Brickworks chimneys at Chimney Corner, near the old brickfields. Photo: James Wood, CC BY-SA 2.0

Construction jobs: 20,000
Permanent jobs after: 8,000
Opens: 2031
Hotel rooms: 500

The same field, twice over

The London Brick Company worked this land for most of the twentieth century, and in the 1950s recruited heavily from Italy to staff it. That is why Bedford has one of the largest Italian communities in Britain — and why the town already knows what it looks like when thousands of people arrive for work on that particular field.

It went well in some ways and badly in others. Worth remembering as it happens again, on the same ground, at roughly the same scale.

The local directory

28 categories of the things you actually need when you land somewhere new — with honest notes on what each costs locally and what to check.

Browse all →

Trade & site

What you need to actually do the job.

Everyday

Eating, drinking, shopping and staying human.

Money, motors & admin

The admin of moving somewhere new.

Health

Registering with a GP, dentist and pharmacy.

Family & community

If you have brought people with you.

Run a local business?

Tell us about it and we will write the listing for you to approve.

Start here

The platforms and track at Kempston Hardwick station, seen from a train — Kempston Hardwick station in 1984. The station sits beside the resort site. Photo: Jonathan Hazan, CC BY 2.0

What is actually being built at Kempston Hardwick

The theme park, the 500-room hotel, the retail and dining district — what the Universal resort at Kempston Hardwick actually includes, where it is, and when it opens.

Read →

A row of shops and a pub along Bedford High Street — Bedford High Street. Photo: Paul Farmer, CC BY-SA 2.0

Moving to Bedford for work: the practical bits

Registering with a GP, finding a dentist, opening a bank account, sorting a room and working out which bit of town suits you. The admin nobody explains.

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A passenger train at a platform at Bedford railway station — Bedford station (Bedford Midland), the town's main rail arrival point. Photo: mattbuck, CC BY-SA 3.0

Getting around Bedford and out to the site

The Marston Vale line, the two Bedford stations, the A421, and how to reach the Universal site without a car.

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A wide, calm lake edged with trees at Priory Country Park — The lake at Priory Country Park, Bedford. Photo: Yohan euan o4, CC BY-SA 3.0

Childcare in Bedford: your options when you move for work

A practical guide for people moving to Bedford for the Universal UK build, covering nurseries, childminders, funded hours, shift work and settling in.

Read →

The town, and the line to the site

The river and parks most people find first, then the Marston Vale line stations between Bedford and Kempston Hardwick that put the villages a short train ride from the gate.

The River Great Ouse along the Embankment in Bedford, with a tree-lined riverside path — The Embankment, Bedford, along the River Great Ouse. Photo: Ronald Saunders, CC BY-SA 2.0

The white arched suspension footbridge over the river in Bedford, framed by trees — The suspension bridge on the Embankment. Photo: Simon Speed, Public domain

Bedford Castle Mound under snow, with a small pavilion on top — Bedford Castle Mound in the snow. Photo: Paul Farmer, CC BY-SA 2.0

A single platform and track at Bedford St Johns station, looking north — Bedford St Johns, the Marston Vale line's stop closest to the town centre. Photo: sludgegulper, CC BY-SA 2.0

The Victorian station house with white level-crossing gates at Millbrook station — Millbrook station on the Marston Vale line. Photo: Geoffrey Skelsey, CC BY-SA 4.0

The old brick station building beside the level crossing at Lidlington — The old station building at Lidlington, on the Marston Vale line. Photo: Mr Biz, CC BY-SA 2.0

The Forest Centre and lakeside café building at Marston Vale — The Forest Centre at Marston Vale, a short walk from Millbrook station. Photo: Simon Speed, Public domain

Lakeview Village Hall, a brick building with a clock turret, in Wixams — Lakeview Village Hall, Wixams. Photo: Simon Speed, CC0

For Bedford businesses

Twenty thousand people are about to need a barber

Most of the people arriving over the next five years will not be from Bedford. They will not know your shop exists, and they will spend their money wherever they first find it.

Free for the first businesses to join, and we’ll write the listing for you — you just approve it. No cut of your trade, ever.

List your business

The rest of the network

Room Rent
Rooms to rent, measured by real distance to the site.
Universal Workers
Jobs, roles, cards and tickets for the build.

Universal in Bedford: common questions

What is being built in Bedford?: Universal United Kingdom Resort — a theme park with several themed lands, a 500-room hotel, and a retail, dining and entertainment district, on the former London Brick Company brickfields at Kempston Hardwick. It is the first Universal-branded theme park and resort in the UK and Europe.
When does it open?: 2031. The Special Development Order permitting it came into force on 2026-01-12 and enabling works began the same month, giving a construction programme of roughly five years.
How many jobs will it create?: Around 20,000 during construction and roughly 8,000 permanent roles once it is operating. Universal has pledged that about 80 per cent of employees will come from Bedfordshire and the surrounding areas.
Is this site run by Universal?: No. We are completely independent and not affiliated with Universal, Comcast or NBCUniversal. Everything we say about the project comes from public sources, which we link. For official news, go to universalukproject.co.uk.
How do I get my business listed?: Tell us about it and we will write the listing for you. Free for the first businesses to join, and always clearly labelled as a paid listing once it is. We never take a cut of your trade and we do not sell anything to residents.