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Universal Confusion: Villagers Close to Site of New Theme Park Tell of Their Rollercoaster Ride

The Guardian

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May 08, 2025

Villagers close to site of new theme park tell of their rollercoaster ride

- Raphael Boyd

Universal Confusion: Villagers Close to Site of New Theme Park Tell of Their Rollercoaster Ride

When it was announced that Universal Pictures, one of the largest movie studios in the world, was opening its first UK theme park in Bedfordshire, social media was filled with questions. Which film franchises will appear? How many rides would there be? Will there be a section dedicated to the Minions?

For the people down the road, however, the only real question was whether their new neighbour was going to push them out of their homes. Local residents and businesses in Kempston Hardwick, a small hamlet on the edge of the town of Kempston, say they have heard "absolutely nothing" from the council as confusion builds about how the new theme park will affect their lives.

Manor Road, which is only a mile long and contains a small hamlet of houses and a handful of businesses, separates the two patches of land that Universal has bought to build its park upon.

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