Browne Jacobson has been appointed by Bedford Borough Council to advise on planning, highways and governance matters tied to Universal United Kingdom Resort as the project moves into delivery. The council’s own project page says planning permission was granted by the Secretary of State, not by the council, which helps explain why specialist legal support is still relevant at this stage.
The law firm says it is working on the 268-hectare resort, which is expected to open in 2031 and draw more than eight million visitors a year. That puts transport, access and governance at the centre of the borough’s next phase of work, because the scheme will only function properly if roads, rail links and local decision-making all keep pace.
Planning now turns to delivery
Universal UK is planned for Kempston Hardwick, near Bedford, on the former brickworks site and neighbouring land. Browne Jacobson says its planning, real estate, and government and infrastructure teams are now advising the council on associated planning, highways and governance matters, while government documents confirm the project was granted permission through a Special Development Order.
The Secretary of State’s statement of reasons for granting permission says National Highways considered the effect on the strategic road network could be accommodated by the proposed infrastructure, and that no severe local-network impacts were expected during operation. That matters for Bedford because the resort’s success will depend on handling visitor traffic as well as construction activity over the years ahead.
Access links are being shaped around the resort
Rail planning is also being aligned with the development. In November 2025, the Department for Transport said a new station at Stewartby would help serve the upcoming Universal theme park in Bedford, and Bedford Borough Council says works on site started in 2026, with opening planned for 2031.
Taken together, those steps show that the Universal United Kingdom Resort is now moving beyond approval and into the practical work of making the site accessible, deliverable and workable for the borough. For Bedford, the question is no longer whether the project is coming, but how the surrounding infrastructure and council processes are shaped to support it.
What happens next
Browne Jacobson’s announcement does not set out how long its appointment will last, but it makes clear that the immediate focus is on planning, highways and governance as construction advances towards the resort’s planned 2031 opening. What happens next will depend on the detailed delivery work around transport, land and local coordination, all of which now sit close to the centre of the project.
