'Last man standing' in road set to be demolished for Universal theme park near Bedford

Ritchie Wood, 55, is waiting until the 11th hour to leave Manor Road in Kempston Hardwick, as 12 homes are due to be razed to make way for the £5bn Universal United Kingdom Resort.

Six homes have already been vacated, while another five are understood to have been sold to Universal under NDAs – with demolition slated for Christmas according to an anonymous resident.

While the park has been lauded by the government as providing "opportunity and long‑term prosperity for Britain", Ritchie is defiantly refusing to leave his three-bedroom cottage, which he has rented for 11 years.

Having been served an eviction notice by his landlord earlier this year, Ritchie took his case to court before being served with a possession notice.

Now Ritchie, who cares for his elderly parents, says he is waiting for the bailiffs following struggles to find a new home.

He said: "My parents are in their 80s and they live five minutes down the road. I want to stay close to them, but I could end up anywhere.

"It's been really hard to watch almost everyone move out of this street. It's heartbreaking. It's like living on borrowed time at the moment.

"Out of 70 million people in the country, I'm the only person facing homelessness out of this. I'm not being taken seriously and no one will speak to me.”

Ritchie was served a Section 21 eviction notice on April 28 - just days before the Renters' Rights Act 2025 came into force.

He was given the deadline of July 1 but Ritchie, who claims Universal had been "bullying" his neighbours to sell up their homes and leave, sought legal advice.

Ritchie, who used to work in construction but had to leave due to ill health, also spoke to his council, who he says advised him to stay put so he wasn't classed as voluntarily homeless.

He says his landlord has sold the property to Universal subject to his removal as a tenant.

He explained: "I've been advised to wait until a bailiff warrant is approved by the court and then I get two weeks notice before they change the locks.

"And all this time, the council are telling me I'm at the bottom of the list for housing. It's not like I'm being paid to move by Universal.

"From a legal point of view, Universal haven't done anything wrong because they'll make sure everything is done to the letter.

"But from a moral perspective, their belligerence is unreal. They think we don't matter."

Universal Destinations and Experiences declined to comment.

Last year, residents spoke of how they had been approached by Universal representatives with formal offers for their homes or otherwise asking if they'd be willing to sell.

But some refused to budge from their much-loved houses, which they said they bought for village life and the countryside.

Ritchie said he now feels like a "trespasser" along his country lane.

He has also claimed he's sent around 70 emails to Universal pleading for talks – and even sent two by tracked delivery to its HQ in Orlando.

Ritchie said: "In April last year, I was told the houses weren't part of the development and they were staying. But then different neighbours were contacted to say the houses were part of it and there was the view to demolish.

"I emailed Universal using various addresses I found online or been told to contact but never heard back.”

Part of Manor Road has been closed since July as part of 'site stabilisation and enabling works'.

In a letter sent to residents in September regarding the roadworks, Universal said they remained "committed to being a good neighbour".

But Ritchie said he felt ignored.

He added: "I think they've [my neighbours] accepted the inevitable that the houses will be demolished. It's sad.

"There's fields all around us and lakes round the back. I get lots of water voles in my garden now because animals are being forced out the land. We had a large grass snake in the road – all these animals have now got nowhere to go."