Universal has filed new planning documents that provide more details about its planned new theme park in Great Britain.
In the documents, Universal proposes being allowed to build attractions up to 117 meters (384 feet) tall. That's more than twice the height of the Jurassic World VelociCoaster at Universal Orlando's Islands of Adventure, which tops out at 155 feet.
At the moment, the only roller coaster in the world taller than that is the 420-foot-tall Top Thrill 2 at Cedar Point, though there are three drop tower rides around the world taller than Universal's proposed maximum height. Multiple Ferris wheel attractions also exceed that height, including the London Eye, at 135 meters.
Universal Destinations & Experiences has proposed building a theme park of at least 80 acres on 476 acres land that it owns near Bedford, England. The park would be designed to handle up to 55,000 visitors a day, accommodating 8.5 million visitors a year.
The resort would include a CityWalk-style shopping and dining area within its security perimeter as well as a hotel with at least 500 rooms. Parking would be provided for 7,106 cars, 100 buses, and 250 cycles, accessed via a new A421 junction and dual carriageway access road. Mass transit access would be supported by an expanded four-platform Wixams Railway Station and shuttle bus service between the expanded the station and theme park.
"As part of the Theme Park offering in the Core Zone, UDX [Universal Destinations & Experiences] invites guests to experience beloved stories and exhilarating adventures in immersive new ways," the planning proposal said. "The rides and attractions UDX creates are only made possible by pairing innovation and technology with exceptional creative delivery. Each theme park is unique and allows guests to be fully immersed in different lands."
You can read Universal's description of its proposed development via the UK government's website, here. All of the documents relating to Universal's development in the UK are located here.
Universal has not yet revealed the name for its new park in the UK, which is expected to open in 2031.
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It's gotta be Eye of Sauron. The Lord of the Rings rights confirmed. /s
They've said they want to compete with European attractions. I think the ride at Ferrari World in Spain is close to their stated height limit so they might be considering a similar style attraction, especially given that they like to have something unique in each park. The UK park will have a natural audience from the UK but it will be a wetter park than many so they may need to up the appeal of attractoins in order to draw visitors from across the European continent.
It’s whatever that Top Thrill Dragster type element is in the lower left of the concept art. My guess would be that it incorporates some sort of “back to the future time travel” story beat as you go up and over.
Lol when I first read the headline I thought we were getting a Universal Park in Connecticut or Mass.
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I don't think they're planning a 300-foot roller coaster. That's just not their style. If they are building something that large, it would be a building or tower