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.
Updated
Where exactly
The site is the former London Brick Company brickfields at Kempston Hardwick, a hamlet between Kempston and Stewartby in Bedfordshire, immediately south of the A421. It runs to nearly 500 acres.
That land has an industrial history that goes back over a century. The brickworks here drew workers from across Britain and, in the 1950s, from Italy — which is why Bedford has one of the largest Italian communities in the UK to this day. The same ground is now doing the same thing again.
Worth knowing. Kempston Hardwick has its own railway station, on the Marston Vale line between Bedford and Bletchley — built to serve those brickworks, and now sitting beside the resort site.
What it includes
Universal has described a world-class theme park with several themed lands, a hotel of around 500 rooms, and a retail, dining and entertainment district. It is billed as the first Universal-branded theme park and resort in the UK and Europe.
Beyond the resort footprint there is substantial infrastructure work — roads, rail, utilities, a new water treatment facility and an all-electric energy plant — much of it happening on the surrounding network rather than on the site itself.
The timeline
Permission came through a Special Development Order, an unusual route reserved for projects of national significance, which came into force on 2026-01-12. Enabling works began at the site the same month.
Opening is scheduled for 2031. Between now and then there is a continuous five-year construction programme, which is a very different thing for a town to absorb than a short build.
Universal went from consultation to planning consent and the start of works in just over two years — fast for a project of this scale, and a reasonable signal that the rest of the programme is being pushed hard.
What it means for Bedford
The headline figures are close to £50 billion of economic benefit, around 20,000 construction jobs, and roughly 8,000 permanent jobs once it is operating. Universal has pledged that around 80 per cent of employees will come from Bedfordshire and the surrounding areas.
For a town of Bedford's size that is a genuine structural change rather than a large employer arriving. It affects housing, transport, schools, the labour market and every local business that sells to people.
It is worth being level-headed about it. Projects of this scale slip, phase differently than announced, and the benefits are never evenly distributed. But the consent is granted, the contractors are appointed and the ground is being moved — this one is happening.
Sources
Check these rather than taking our word for it.
This guide is general local information, not professional advice. We are independent and not connected to Universal. Costs and figures are indicative and change.
Common questions
- Where is the Universal Bedford site exactly?
- On the former London Brick Company brickfields at Kempston Hardwick, between Kempston and Stewartby in Bedfordshire, immediately south of the A421. The site runs to nearly 500 acres and has its own railway station on the Marston Vale line.
- When does Universal United Kingdom Resort open?
- 2031. The Special Development Order permitting it came into force on 2026-01-12 and enabling works started the same month, giving a construction programme of roughly five years.
- What will the resort include?
- A theme park with several themed lands, a hotel of around 500 rooms, and a retail, dining and entertainment district — plus substantial supporting infrastructure including roads, rail, utilities, a water treatment facility and an all-electric energy plant.
- Is it called Universal Studios Bedford?
- That is what most people search for, but the official name is Universal United Kingdom Resort. It is the first Universal-branded theme park and resort in the UK and Europe.