Universal Theme Park in Bedford will boost waterway

BEDFORD & MILTON KEYNES Waterway Trust welcomes the announcement today by Universal Destinations & Experiences that it intends to build and operate the company’s first-ever Universal branded theme park in Bedford.

Many visitors to the Universal Theme Park are likely to stay in Bedford and the surrounding area,which will provide a boost to the Bedfordshire economy as well as opportunities to expand tourist attractions more widely.

Waterway Park

The Bedford & Milton Keynes Waterway Trust supports the creation of a transformational 26km long Waterway Park linking Milton Keynes and Bedford through Central Bedfordshire.

This would complement and broaden the existing tourism offer of the region, as well as augment Britain’s canal network by linking the Grand Union Canal directly to the River Great Ouse.

This would provide the opportunity for environmental enhancement, flood mitigation and the transfer of water to drier parts of the country. It would also offer an attractive route for walking and cycling bringing many physical and mental health benefits. There would also be many growth opportunities for local businesses in the leisure, tourism and hospitality sectors.

Simon Clewlow, Chair of the Bedford and Milton Keynes Waterway Trust, explains:

Significant growth in tourism

"Following today’s announcement by Universal, it is clear that in the near future Bedford and its surrounding areas will experience a significant growth in tourism. The Bedford & Milton Keynes Waterway would enhance this opportunity for the local economy by expanding the tourism offer and encouraging visitors to extend their stays. This announcement is, the trust believes, an important step in making the delivery of the waterway and all its wider benefits a reality.  (The map shows the line of the proposed waterway/park.)

“Using the waterway to mitigate flood risk, provide flood and climate change resilience as well as move water from the wetter areas of the country to the drier east are its significant strategic benefits. At a more local level it will become an important link in the area’s active travel network as well as bring many environmental and wellbeing advantages.

“As a first step in the delivery of the waterway, the multi-user track for active travel which will run alongside the waterway could be made available during construction of the theme park to increase the opportunity for workers to cycle or walk to and from the Universal site using traffic-free routes.

“The trust will continue to focus on the overall vision for the waterway by collaborating with all its partners along with Universal and build on the Government’s decision to support the future of Bedfordshire. I'm very excited that the time is coming shortly when the Bedford and Milton Keynes Waterway will be part of that future as well as being a key element in managing water purposefully in the 21st century, so putting ‘Water Where It’s Wanted’."