Universal Submits Planning Permission Request For Universal Studios United Kingdom

Universal has submitted its first planning permission request for Universal Studios United Kingdom.

As per a letter posted on the official Universal UK Project website, Universal has submitted a request to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government “for planning permission to be granted by way of making a Special Development Order (SDO)”.

A Special Development Order would essentially allow Universal to bypass local planning constraints that smaller-scale projects would have to usually go through. The SDO is usually reserved for projects that are of a large scale, or with unique requirements, and would normally require a lot of difficulty to pass through standard planning procedures.

This is significant on the basis that the park is seen by Universal as of immense national significance, which is seemingly agreed on with the UK Government as the planning permission proposal is sponsored by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport.

As per Universal’s letter, the request is “for an entertainment resort complex featuring a world-class theme park with several themed lands, visitor accommodation, as well as a range of retail, dining and entertainment uses”.

It also reiterates that the park is expected to generate “nearly £50 billion of economic benefit and create 28,000 jobs” and would be one of the local area’s biggest employers, having “a transformative impact on Bedford and the UK economy”.

Universal also iterated that the “project will also help deliver several long sought after transportation upgrades including an expanded Wixams railway station, direct slip roads from the A421 and other local road improvements.”

These improvements to road and rail infrastucture had long been mooted as important points if the project were going ahead, with a previous letter noting that the park would have ‘unlock several longstanding local transportation upgrades‘.

Moreover, the expansion to Wixams station had previously been taken under central government control, as opposed to being undertaken by Bedford Borough Council, due to the scale that the project now presents, especially with the finances involved, and the scale of the project to involve more than just a ‘village station’, according to the Mayor of Bedford, Tom Wootton.

Universal’s Destination & Experiences’ President of New Ventures Page Thompson had previously given an interview to the BBC in April 2025 where they said they had a ‘century of plans’ for the UK theme park, and noted then that a submission for a request for planning permission would be submitted in the following couple of months before construction can begin in 2026, and ahead of the park’s opening date in 2031.