Bristol Zoo housing scheme plan recommended for approval

Plans to build houses on the site of Bristol Zoo have been recommended for approval.

The plans would see 196 houses built on a 12 acre site, 20% of which will be affordable.

A final decision will be made by councillors at a planning meeting on Wednesday 26 April.

The Grade-II entrance lodge will be redeveloped into a café and exhibition space.

A separate planning application for 62 homes on the zoo’s west car park was approved in November last year.

Dr Justin Morris, chief executive of Bristol Zoological Society, said: “We are really confident in our plans and the quality of the design proposals we have submitted.

“As well as delivering sustainable, much-needed homes for Bristol, our plans for Bristol Zoo Gardens secure the site as a public park, a community asset, so everyone can enjoy its beauty and heritage for many years to come.”

The society submitted a planning application in May 2022, before resubmitting it in October after feedback from the council and Historic England.