Aug 18 (Reuters) – Comcast’s theme park company Universal is in talks with British officials over tax and other infrastructure incentives to secure a multi-billion pound resort in Bedford, the Financial Times reported on Sunday.
Comcast’s decision to move forward, expected by the end of the year, will depend in part on talks with regulators over incentives, the paper said, citing people familiar with the project.
Comcast and Universal did not immediately respond to Reuters’ requests for comment.
Comcast could explore other sites in Europe or elsewhere if talks fail, the FT said, without disclosing details of the amount of incentives being sought.
Universal last year bought a 190-hectare plot of land south of Bedford, a town in eastern England located north of London, to build a theme park and resort.
The company has said it expects the project to bring more than 50 billion pounds ($60 billion) in economic benefits to Britain, with around 8,000 jobs created once the park is operational.
(1 dollar = 0.7726 pounds)
(Reporting by Kanjyik Ghosh; Editing by Ricardo Figueroa)