'Heartbreaking': The man driven out by the UK's £5bn theme park
A resident of a Bedfordshire village faces displacement as his home is slated for demolition to make way for a new £5bn Universal theme park. Despite the project's economic promise, local residents are struggling with the loss of their community and the difficulty of finding affordable housing.
Why it matters
The story highlights the human cost of large-scale infrastructure and commercial development projects on local communities.
Image source, Ant Saddington/BBC Image caption, Seeing his neighbours' homes being demolished has almost brought Ritchie Wood to tears
Surrounded by rolling fields and lakes, Ritchie Wood's home of 11 years provided the serene village life he loved.
Yet in recent weeks, his neighbours have packed their bags and left - their houses in Kempston Hardwick, Bedfordshire, soon to be reduced to rubble.
"It's totally changed to how it used to be - it used to be lovely. We had a nice little community here, lots of wildlife, very quiet," Wood tells the BBC.
Now, as the 55-year-old looks around him in Manor Road, all he sees are empty properties. Wood knows his will be next.
His rented home lies in the middle of what will be Universal's new £5bn theme park , touted to be the UK's biggest tourist attraction when it opens in 2031.
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