Council May Seek Government Cash to Help Cope with Universal Theme Park

Posted by UK Property Forums on 26th August 2025 -

Councillors in Bedford are set to ask the Government for money to pay for infrastructure around proposed Universal Studios theme park.

An extraordinary meeting of Bedford Borough Council executive on Wednesday, August 27 will be asked to confirm its support for the 268-hectare development but also to  acknowledge adverse impacts.

It follows a meeting of the full council on August 21 in which councillors agreed their response to the Government consultation on the development consent order (DCO) for the scheme.

Councillors will be asked at Wednesday’s meeting to seek a financial support package from the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) to deal with issues around construction management, local transport plans and measures to manage the housing market during construction.

In addition, the council will ask for funding from public bodies to increase capacity of local health services, housing and infrastructure improvements.

A report to Wednesday’s meeting states: “Bedford Borough Council recognises that this is a project of national importance to the UK economy and is supportive of the benefits that this will bring.

“However, there are potentially valid concerns being raised by our communities, and our councillors as their representatives, that the potential adverse impacts from the development need to be sufficiently mitigated.”

The report says the council recognises that information in the DCO addresses the mitigations issue but it wants those secured by the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG).