The opening of Universal’s recently filed documents designed for planning permission for the upcoming Universal Studios United Kingdom park has revealed more exciting details about the park.
Universal had filed documents to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government seeking planning permission last week, but from today through August 31, they are available for public consultation and available to view on the UK Government website.
According to a BBC report, the documents include plans for park structures to be built up to 377ft in height, or up to 115 metres, which could include rollercoasters. The justification for this is that it is line with other European parks and the UK’s planning ideals to build up rather than across due to limited space.
The documentation also reveals the potential heights for some of the park’s attractions in a section spotted by Universal Studios Great Britain Updates on X an image that maps some of the concept art onto a ‘height chart’ that seems to put the park’s alleged Back To The Future rollercoaster at approximately 215ft high. It also shows a triangular building that some think is a Jurassic Park show building.
The park’s opening hours, according to the environmental statement, are said to be Monday to Sunday from 7am to 11pm, which is largely in line with Universal parks elsewhere, although it differs from the seasonal, and shorter, opening hours favoured by current UK theme parks.
These opening hours could be extended until 2am on ‘seasonal events’, such as Halloween Horror Nights, for up to 60 nights a year, while during holiday periods such as Chinese New Year, 5th November and Diwali, hours could be 7am to 1am on five nights a year.
Thanks to information collated by Diservations and the BBC, we know that Universal is expecting 8.5 million visitors per year, with a peak of 55,000 on the park’s peak days.
Transportation is outlined in the documentation as being handled by a new four-platform station at Wixams, as had been previously noted, as well as a dedicated slip road from the A421 to the park. Those driving will experience a “tree-lined boulevard” according to the BBC report, while those using public transport will access the park via a transport hub, similarly to other Universal parks. Wixams station will also have a dedicated footbridge over the train tracks to the park, ad there will be a travel route to the park from the Interchange West Retail Park in Bedford..
The plans include more than seven thousand car parking spaces alongside additional spaces for coach and bike transport, while once inside, guests will enter the park’s entry plaza – presumably a CityWalk location – filled with shops, restaurants and entertainment venues. As with other CityWalks, these will be accessed by paying and non-paying guests. Paying guests then enter the attraction by passing under a large archway at the front of the park, as seen in the concept art.
In the documentation, Universal describes how guests will experience “adrenaline-pumping coasters”, “mind-blowing spectaculars” and will “come face-to-face with incredible creatures, heroes, and villains”, while they will also “discover great food, new laughs, new ways to play, and step into immersive worlds they’ve only ever dreamed of.”
As for entertainment, Diservations also noted that Universal isn’t expecting to use fireworks for nighttime shows apart from on rare occasions during holidays such as Chinese New Year, 5th November and Diwali. Most of the other time they will be using drone shows.
The plans for the park already feature a 500-room hotel, which looks to be to the left of the concept art. By 2051, when Universal estimates the site will be fully developed, they expect there to be 6,070, “with 4,720 assumed to be used by theme park visitors.” In addition, Universal Studios Great Britain Updates on X has also noted the documents reference a water park and a conference centre in the adjacent ‘lake zone’ by 2051.
Alicia Stella on X has also shared the chart Universal has provided when the project is expected to start construction, with ‘enabling works’ beginning at the start of 2026, and the actual construction of infrastructure and the resort to provisionally start in Q3 2026 and Q4 2027 respectively ahead of the 2031 opening date.
