
First Universal theme park in UK hopes to build the tallest rides in Europe
Visitors to the theme park in Bedford are likely to see rides based on the studio's most famous film franchises, including Minions, Jaws and Jurassic Park.
The American film production and distribution company has sought planning permission through a special development order, which would allow the government to approve the plans rather than through the local council.
Universal Studios said it could build structures in the theme park reaching up to 377ft (115m), including rides, the new planning documents show.
"The reason for proposing structures up to this maximum height is to allow the proposed theme park to compete with other attractions in Europe," the proposal said.
"Although the Universal Orlando Resort does not currently have attractions up to this height, taller attractions are more common in Europe, where rides need to be taller to create the experience, as space is more constrained,' it added.
Currently, Thorpe Park 's Hyperia is the tallest and fastest theme park ride in Britain, exceeding speeds of 80mph and ascending to heights of 72 metres along nearly a kilometre of track.
Red Force, a 367-foot (112m) rollercoaster at PortAventura World in Spain, is the largest in Europe.
According to the plans, the majority of the park's structures will be between 20 and 30m tall, with some larger ones adding "visual interest" to the skyline.
"Building attractions that are higher, rather than over greater areas, also makes the best use of land which is in line with planning policy,' they added.
The amusement park hopes to receive 8.5 million visitors each year, with 55,000 expected to attend during peak times such as the school summer holidays.
A minimum of 7,106 parking spaces will be available, 100 coach spaces and 250 cycle spaces, with several travel routes running throughout the site.
As part of the planning proposals, Universal is hoping to build the necessary infrastructure to support visiting traffic by creating a new A421 junction and a dual carriageway access road, as well as expanding the Wixams rail station and providing a shuttle bus service from the Thameslink line.
The park is hoping to secure planning permission in time to open for 2031, with the aim of employing 8,500 staff which will hopefully rise to 10,000 by 2051.
'We anticipate that approximately 80 per cent of those working at the theme park and resort once operational will come from the local area – specifically from the local authority areas of Bedford, Central Bedfordshire, Luton and Milton Keynes,' the documents read.
Surrounding roads would also be improved, while the documents explain that some houses have been purchased close to the site, and the firm is considering buying a further 17 residential properties.
For visitors, there will also be a minimum of 500 hotel rooms on the site, as well as easy access to both London and Luton airports.
These planning documents submitted to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) have been made public as part of the consultation process.
Consultation ends on 31 August, at which point the MHCLG will review comments and make a decision.
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


The Sun
34 minutes ago
- The Sun
New campervan and motorhome ban kicks in TODAY in tourist hotspot crackdown – rule-breakers risk having vehicle towed
A NEW campervan and motorhome ban has kicked in today in a tourist hotspot crackdown and rule-breakers risk having their vehicle towed away. It comes after months of complaints from residents about l arger vehicles dominating the area. 1 The details of the ban. Motorhomes and campervans owners have been warned of a new parking ban which prevents larger vehicles from accessing popular seafront roads in East Suffolk. The council has introduced an experimental Traffic Regulation Order for Undercliff Road East in a bid to create car-only parking bays along both sides of the road. This will effectively exclude campervans and motorhomes from the stretch. Council members said that larger vehicles were "damaging the footways and limiting opportunities for residents and visitors to access the beachfront easily." The experimental order will be assessed throughout the summer period to determine its effectiveness and may be adjusted before it becomes permanent. The new arrangements The council have stated that the new arrangements include dedicated parking bays for disabled badge holders with a three-hour time limit "to ensure they can be used by all those who need them." Designated motorcycle parking bays will also be introduced and double yellow lines will be painted on junctions to improve safety and visibility. The cars-only parking spaces will have no time limit, enabling longer stays for visitors to the seaside area. To help drivers get used to the changes, parking on a section of Undercliff Road East has been temporarily restricted between June 30 and July 18, with the council warning that vehicles parked during this period may be towed away reports GB News. Alternative parking for larger vehicles will be available at Manor Terrace, Garrison Lane and Golf Road. I travelled Ireland's Wild Atlantic Way in vantastic motorhome Where overnight parking will be permitted for a maximum of three days with no return within seven days. Signage and larger bays will be introduced at these alternative locations to accommodate campervans and motorhomes. The improvement works resulted from a collaboration between Suffolk Highways, East Suffolk Council and Felixstowe Town Council to address safety concerns. The reason behind the ban Felixstowe's popularity among the camping community had grown significantly due to amenities such as free tap water and public toilets. However, residents have been urging the council to introduce parking restrictions, with some complaining that campervans were parked on the road for months at a time. The council explained that larger vehicles, parking partially on pavements, was also causing obstruction issues, especially for wheelchair users and those with pushchairs. Councillor Seamus Bennett explained that overnight camping and parking of motorhomes has become excessive in the area. He said: "Dozens of very large vehicles park for days or weeks and effectively turn this stretch of seafront road into a free campsite, which it was never meant or equipped to be." Councillor Tim Wilson added: "Undercliff Road East is unsuitable for the high volume of large vehicles which visit during the summer months, and these layout changes will encourage these vehicles, including campervans and motorhomes, to find alternative parking." Councillor Paul West, Suffolk County Council Cabinet member for Operational Highways and Flooding said: "The campervans have been offered an alternative parking solution." He explained that the experimental order aims to find "a lasting solution for the residents of the town". Campervan owners had previously highlighted their contribution to the local economy through the use of shops and pubs. And some suggested a 24-hour time limit might better balance competing needs.


The Independent
34 minutes ago
- The Independent
Paris couture week opens with Cardi B holding a live crow at Schiaparelli's spectacle
Paris couture week opened not with sequins or red carpet pageantry, but with a black-feathered omen. Cardi B, wrapped in a custom Schiaparelli gown of graphic fringe, stood beneath the gilded columns of the Petit Palais, holding a live crow on her arm. The bird squawked, glared, and nearly lunged — setting the tone for a show that soared straight into the surreal. It was a fitting image for Schiaparelli. Elsa Schiaparelli, the house's founder, built her legend in the 1930s by weaving the unexpected —l obster dresses, shoe hats, and, yes, animals — into the heart of high fashion. That legacy pulsed through Daniel Roseberry's Fall 2025 collection, a spectacle in pure black and white, staged as if the city itself had been drained of color, leaving only stark contrast and raw emotion. Inside, the mood was cinematic — sharp tailoring, sweeping gowns, hints of disco sheen flickering like film across the runway. But if the house has been criticized in the past for relying on extreme corsetry and body manipulation, this season marked a shift. Roseberry, perhaps heeding the critics, abandoned his signature corset silhouette. In its place: a freer, more elastic exploration of the body, echoing Schiaparelli's own restless spirit. Roseberry said the collection was inspired by the moment in 1940, when Elsa Schiaparelli fled Nazi-occupied Paris for New York — a period 'when life and art was on the precipice: to the sunset of elegance, and to the end of the world as we knew it.' Here, that tension was alive in every look: archival codes reimagined, but with a restless push toward the future. Dresses undulated like car bodies, hips arced in impossibly engineered shapes, ribbons from antique Lyon couture fluttered as kinetic sculptures. Yet the show was more than spectacle. This was couture at its most essential — an ideas factory for the entire fashion industry, unfettered by trends. ' Chanel was interested in how clothes could be of practical use to women; Elsa was interested in what fashion could be,' Roseberry added. It is this what-if energy, the transformation of memory, myth, and sheer technique into something never seen before, that keeps couture vital, even as the world rushes toward AI and disposable fast fashion. The setting only heightened the effect. The Petit Palais is currently home to an exhibit on Charles Worth, the 19th-century Englishman who invented haute couture by bringing artistry and handcraft to Paris. The symmetry was irresistible: in these halls, Schiaparelli's past collided with fashion's future, reminding all why couture matters: not as museum piece, but as living laboratory for risk, reinvention, and radical beauty. A decade after its relaunch, Schiaparelli has found commercial traction and become a fixture on the world's red carpets, a rare feat in today's luxury market. But above all, the brand's power lies in its ability to surprise. On opening day, as Cardi B's crow threatened to take flight, Schiaparelli proved that in Paris, fashion's most potent magic is still the unexpected.


The Independent
34 minutes ago
- The Independent
Bob Geldof hailed a ‘genius' for his Live Aid work in new documentary
A new three-part BBC Two documentary, Live Aid at 40: When Rock and Roll Took on the World, has received widespread praise on social media. Airing on 6 July, the series explores the 40-year legacy of Band Aid, Live Aid, and Live 8, detailing their impact on charity and politics. The original Live Aid concert, organised by Bob Geldof in 1985, raised over £109m for Ethiopian famine relief and was watched by more than one billion people globally. The documentary features archival footage, tracing the creation of the 'Do They Know It's Christmas?' single, the Live Aid concert, and Live 8. Viewers expressed nostalgia and appreciation for the historical significance of the events, with many lauding Bob Geldof's 'genius' despite some divided opinions on him.