Credit: UniversalThe recent boom in theme park construction worldwide has left fans in awe of the rapid acceleration of construction and the new rides and attractions it brings. These new constructions have been a win-win for everyone involved, as they open new markets for the theme park companies and bring tourists to countries to spend their money. A win-win for everyone, well, almost everyone.
As these theme parks are constructed, they are coming to towns and neighborhoods that don’t necessarily want to deal with the noise and traffic that comes along with living next to a park. That’s what residents of a small neighborhood in the center of Universal’s new United Kingdom park are learning the hard way.
Manor Road, in the village of Kempston Hardwick, Bedfordshire, sits between the new Universal Great Britain theme park and the construction site; essentially, the residents are located in the middle of the new proposed resort. While most of their homes are set to be demolished, some say that they haven’t received an offer from Universal to purchase their land, nor have they even been contacted by the company.
Claudia Pixley, who met with a representative from the construction crew, told the BBC:
He sat at my kitchen table and I told him I didn’t want to move, I’ve lived here for 10 years. He said “If you’re going to be difficult we can build the theme park entrance opposite your house,” so I asked him to leave.
In the United Kingdom, the government can use compulsory purchase orders (CPOs) to force people to move for public projects without their consent. However, it wasn’t until Universal published its planning paperwork last week that the residents learned they would not use CPOs to remove them from their properties.
This means that Universal has to negotiate with each property owner individually on a price for the land. There are 12 parcels of land, with Universal owning five on one end of the properties.
Pixley said that she contacted the Bedford Borough Council for help in this matter, but was told that any negotiations between homeowners and Universal were a “private matter.”
Another resident, Tom, told the BBC:
We seem to be forgotten. There are people living here – I’ve lived here for 31 years. This is my home.
We’re not against the theme park – we think it’ll be great for the area. But this is my home, my children grew up here, I had no plans to ever leave.
We’re not going to be bulldozed out of here by a load of bullies, and if we are bulldozed we want fair compensation for the total inconvenience.
The new Universal Park is set to be on a 500-acre former brick factory in Bedford, around 40 miles away from London. Once completed, it will surpass Disneyland Paris as Europe’s largest theme park.
Universal Destinations and Experiences is expected to support 20,000 jobs, including 10,000 at the new park. The company also estimated that the park would bring 50 billion pounds in economic value to the area and 14.1 billion pounds in tax revenue to the British government over the next 20 years. Universal also expects more than 8 million tourists in the next decade.
If the residents choose to stay, the plans call for building a four-lane highway on one end of their property and cutting down the trees that shade it. So, they will be stuck in the middle of the theme park with nowhere to go.
What do you think of Universal building a theme park around a neighborhood? Let us know in the comments.