New rumors suggest Harry Potter and Paddington rides are coming to the new Universal UK theme park being built now, including the Forbidden Journey ride inside of Hogwarts Castle and a new omnimover dark ride based on Paddington Bear. The project officially has a name now, Universal United Kingdom Resort, and is still on track for a 2031 opening.

Let’s dig into recent announcements, new planning permits, and rumored ride details for all areas of the park in today’s news update. See the video version of this story below for additional visuals.

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Official Name and Logo Revealed

The UK project officially has a name! Announced on June 3rd, the company revealed the official name and logo for “Universal United Kingdom Resort.”

Being built now on a 540-acre site near Bedford, England, the company says it will contain a theme park with multiple themed lands and a 500-room hotel.

The same day saw official photos released featuring Comcast/Universal executives along with UK Government officials at the future site.

They were marking the start of major construction, but Universal says officially the work happening now is “enabling works,” with construction soon to begin”

The resort’s official opening year is still listed as 2031, but we may have a more specific time frame that the company seems to be shooting for.

At a Bedfordshire Chamber of Commerce conference in April, a spokesperson from Universal said they intend to open Spring 2031.

In July we saw what could be considered the first teaser trailer video debut for the resort, seen below. This was playing on screen at the Bedford River Festival, where the company was a sponsor.

Universal UK Resort FIRST EVER video teaser trailer?? 🇬🇧👀

Spotted at the Bedford River Festival, does this trailer give us a first glimpse at what the park might hold in 2031? 😍 pic.twitter.com/D03cvsOo9T

— DigitalDan (@DigitalDan7) July 19, 2026

Although, it consisted of only various clips from existing Universal experiences around the world, with nothing specific to the UK park.

🇬🇧 Un premier teaser pour Universal United Kingdom !

Une destination, plusieurs univers thématiques, un hôtel de 500 chambres… Universal a offert un premier aperçu de son futur resort britannique, attendu en 2031.

Encore très mystérieux, le projet promet une expérience… pic.twitter.com/gWxa5IjkmT

— Parcs & Loisirs Magazine (@ParcsLoisirsMag) July 22, 2026

However, since then, a more specific video has been revealed to the public, seen above. This one featured an animated version of the new logo along with the previously released concept art, set to the iconic Universal Studios fanfare.

Latest Construction and Permits

Looking to the latest developments at the future site itself, earlier this year ESP Utilities Group was appointed by Universal to design, build, and operate new infrastructure needed for the new resort.

This includes a substantial new water treatment facility and an electric central energy plant to provide all of the cooling and heating that will be needed for the resort.

These plants will be located on-site, and will prevent the new resort from having to utilize too much outside local resources.

A temporary road closure is in effect as construction vehicles haul large amounts of soil between the north portion of the site, known as the Lake Zone, and the south area, known as the Core Zone.

The soil is being brought to the area where the theme park will be built. See the latest updates from Project Universal for more construction imagery!

Community updates, like temporary road closures, can now be found listed on the UK Project official website.

Just a few days 150 pages of more documents were made public as part of the planning of works at the new site.

Filed with the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government, the documents, known as Condition 57, are for a detailed flood reliance scheme.

Amongst the detailed reports and flood modeling to help prepare the land for decades of future drainage conditions, one image has stood out to theme park fans.

This map image appears to show the first publicly posted appearance of the future theme park’s actual lagoon.

Listed in documents as the “Show Lagoon in Core Zone,” this proposed body of water is specifically described as being outside of the surface water management plans, so is essentially only there for show.

The image above is the park’s official concept art, with the lagoon seen in the center, for comparison.

In addition to land grading happening in the Core Zone, earth moving work has also been happening in the West Gateway Zone in recent weeks.

The West Gateway Zone is where the main vehicle entrance for both the theme park and the 500-room hotel will be located.

North of the main theme park site, in the Lake Zone, detailed archaeological surveys are continuing. There is less urgency for this part of the company’s land, as most of it is being saved for future development.

The largest part of this area is described in planning documents as someday housing additional hotels and a convention center, but nothing that will be ready for the resort’s opening other than some animal habitats and the utilities needed to help run the park.

An artificial badger sett was created and can be found at top corner of Lake Zone. Badgers and other critters are being relocated here if found elsewhere on the site during work.

Recent News

With Comcast’s announcement that it will be splitting into two companies, some in the theme park fan community have begun to worry about the fate of the UK project.

The good news is, Universal has committed to investing over £5 billion into the project, (equivalent to around 6.7 billion US Dollars).

The UK government is supporting the project with £1.3 billion of its own for local infrastructure projects that will be needed for the new theme park resort to open.

This financial agreement between the two parties has already been made, and was announced in early June, prior to the announcement of Comcast spinning off NBCUniversal.

And speaking of financial details, Universal says they are “aware of ticket cost pressures.”

Someone from the government asked the company about ticket prices, saying “We have had that conversation with [Universal] because obviously they’re very acutely aware of the cost of living pressures on families at the moment.”

According to reporting by the BBC, they’re ” taking action on a number of fronts in order to make sure that [the new park] is accessible.”

Current Ride Rumors

While fans all have their own theories for what properties and attractions will be included in the new theme park when it opens in 2031, technically the company has not yet announced a single ride for it just yet. (See our latest predictions on the speculation map above.)

In a recent episode of the Bricking It podcast, they’re reporting that not only is a Paddington-themed land “definitely” coming to the park, but it will supposedly contain an omnimover-style family ride. They’ve heard that this indoor dark ride would contain “simple animatronics.”

They have also heard that the following lands are still happening, as of now:

Back to the Future is still on, featuring the roller coaster with the massive vertical spike seen in the concept art.

A Jurassic-themed land is happening, which they say will supposedly contain the Jurassic World Adventure ride from Universal Beijing.

A Minions Land is still expected, featuring Despicable Me: Minion Mayhem, just like Minion Lands in other Universal Studios parks around the world.

The Bricking It podcast is also reporting that the mystery portion of the official concept art on the top-right will in fact be Harry Potter. The current rumor is that it will be the Hogsmeade land, featuring a clone of the company’s version of Hogwarts Castle with the Forbidden Journey ride inside.

Like Minion Mayhem, Forbidden Journey is an attraction that can be found at nearly all of the Universal resorts around the world.

If true, it would mean that the current rumors exclude the possibility of a Lord of the Rings-themed land. Despite being one of the earliest rumored concepts for the park, many now believe it is no longer happening.

However, the first expansion for the Universal United Kingdom Resort may already be in the early design phases, so who knows what the future could hold for the new park beyond 2031.

That’s all for now, but be sure to check out the Bricking It podcast for regular insight into all of the news and rumors for this massive new project for the UK. You can listen from your favorite podcast app, or check them out on YouTube.

Stay tuned to Park Stop for continuing coverage on this massive project in the coming years. See the video version of this story for additional visuals, and be sure to subscribe to us on YouTube.

Subscribe to the news feed or enter your email address below to never miss an update. Official Art: Universal Destinations & Experiences | Official Documents: gov.uk | Graphics and Overlays: Alicia Stella | Other Images as Captioned

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