Controversial Clifton Zoo plans before council next month
Plans to redevelop one of the most contentious sites in Bristol are set to be considered by the council next month.
A planning application to redevelop the site formerly occupied by Clifton Zoo is due to be considered on March 15.
The land is in the heart of one of the most desirable parts of the city and the plan is to build around 200 homes on the site of the former zoo.
Bristol Zoo was one of the oldest in the country and had occupied the site for more than 170 years.
It closed in September and moved to a new site in South Gloucestershire.
The plans for new homes have been met with local opposition from a variety of groups.
Residents and local business groups are opposed to the idea of housing and want to see the zoo replaced by a visitor attraction.
Bristol Zoo
One group are campaigning for the popular zoo to reopen to the public.
Save Bristol Zoo said: “Our first and overarching aim is to stop planning permission for ugly and inappropriate luxury housing on the site.
“It would be a travesty, given the beauty, the heritage and the symbolic importance of this 12-acre city site.
“Secondly, we then need to create further time and energy to determine what will be best for Bristol and the site itself; it is a huge part of the city’s history.
“We believe that the simplest solution is for the Zoo to change its mind and stay – avoiding a potentially long battle over planning, involving both the community and the Zoo in huge effort and expense.
“The final closure and sale are not inevitable. It’s not too late, and not impossible, that the Bristol Zoo Gardens site can be saved and plans reversed. Bristol has a long history of saving its best – witness the SS Gt Britain, the Ferries, the Cranes, the Old Vic and the purity of the Avon Gorge.”
A separate plan to build 62 new homes on the zoo’s former car park was given planning permission in November 2022 following a long campaign against the proposals.
