Universal Studios Bedford: "I am increasingly worried traffic management doesn't stack up" warns councillor

But Central Bedfordshire councillor Sue Clark (Conservative) from the neighbouring Cranfield and Marston Moretaine Ward is warning that the scale of the development on local traffic has not been fully accounted for in planning documents.

Writing on Facebook, councillor Clark welcomed the Universal Studios project potential as an “extraordinary investment in our area and a big boost for the UK economy”, but questioned whether the road network is ready for it.

In its Primary Opening Year (2031), the development is expected to attract 8.5 million visitors. This total comprises an anticipated 5.95 million domestic visitors (70 per cent) and 2.55 million international visitors (30 per cent).

The project’s 40:40:20 Vision, part of its sustainable transport strategy, is specifically designed for domestic visitors.

It aims to achieve a 40 per cent visitor arrival by private car, and the application says this equates to around 1.7 million two-way car trips per year on local roads to access the site

“We need to be able to run our lives alongside all the visitors Universal will bring,” she wrote.

“And as I wade through the huge mass of planning documents in the consultation, I am increasingly worried that the traffic management doesn’t stack up, and this needs to be sorted.”

The remaining 60 per cent is split between rail (40 per cent) and ‘other’ modes (20 per cent), including dedicated coach travel, local bus services, and taxis.

Councillor Clark said a major concern is the assumption in the traffic modelling that most visitors will arrive after the weekday morning rush hour.

The assessment suggests this pattern will prevent overlap with commuter traffic and reduce pressure on the road network.

But councillor Clark says that assumption is far from guaranteed, and if it’s wrong, the result could be congestion across the Marston Vale and beyond.

“If there’s a problem on the A421 or the motorway, it’s fair to assume we are likely to get congestion as road users try to find alternative routes,” she warned, citing the “appalling congestion” during last year’s A421 flooding as a warning of what’s possible.

The councillor also raised concerns about Junction 13 of the M1, a key access point for the proposed park.

The Transport Assessment said there will be some impact on the junction, but those effects “will not be to a degree that would result in a change to the nature of the existing congestion”.

“The studies at J13 assume some improvements to the junction, without specifying what these are or how they will be delivered,” councillor Clark said. “The one study showing a ‘constrained’ J13 is adjusted manually.”

Councillor Clark is also critical of the lack of contingency planning in the event of motorway closures or traffic incidents.

“The transport study only covers the A421 corridor, which means there is no consideration (or mitigation) of where the traffic will go if there are problems on the A421 or M1,” she said.

Another major gap, councillor Clark says, is the failure to include other permitted developments in the modelling baseline, including the 5,000-home Marston Valley housing scheme and the Marston Gate warehouse expansion at Junction 13.

“All developments have to take account of permitted/likely development in the area,” she said. “But the Marston Valley 5,000 homes or the recently permitted Marston Gate warehouse extension at J13 are not included in the assessment.”

She notes that the Marston Valley project, by contrast, includes off-site junction improvements at J13 and on the A507, which the Universal scheme currently does not.

“The existing road infrastructure is already stressed,” she said. “It simply cannot be that the existing road network can cope without significant improvements.”

The Environmental Statement, and the other documents, plans, and drawings that accompanied this request can be found here.

For any enquiries about the consultation please contact [email protected]