Overview
- Secretary of State Steve Reed has granted a Special Development Order for the Kempston Hardwick site, with a statutory parliamentary review still required before works begin.
- Construction is targeted to start as early as 2026, with the resort aiming to open to the public in 2031.
- The project spans about 268 hectares in total, including a 96.7-hectare theme park, with planning documents citing potential structures up to roughly 115 metres.
- Developers cite nearly £50 billion in long-term economic benefit, about 20,000 construction roles and around 8,000 permanent jobs, with a stated aim to hire roughly 80% locally.
- Transport plans include a new Stewartby station, upgrades to Wixams and new road links, while local reaction ranges from traffic concerns to a Universal survey reporting 92% support among roughly 6,000 respondents.