Property deal opens way for historic zoo’s move to new site
A deal has been sealed which will help Bristol Zoo move to a new home.
The historic Clifton Zoo is moving to a new site in South Gloucestershire and has sealed a deal which will see a former car park turned into a housing development.
The empty car park, which was used for Bristol Zoo Gardens visitors and staff, has been sold to fund the first phase of construction of a new conservation zoo at Wild Place Project.
The move has been surrounded by controversy and the decision to redevelop the site of the zoo attracted hundreds of complaints.
The former West Car Park site in Clifton, a brownfield site that has been out of use since September 2022, has been acquired by the Hill Group.
The property company plans to build 62 high quality homes, 20 percent of which will be affordable, at the site.
At the Wild Place Project, to be called Bristol Zoo Project from summer 2023, the Society will create new visitor facilities, new play areas, new animal homes with new species, and a conservation campus for students, scientists, and the breeding of highly threatened animals.
In the first phase of construction, which is expected to start in 2024, the Society will build a new central African forest area.
Here the gorilla troop from Bristol Zoo Gardens will live with a new group of Endangered cherry-crowned mangabey monkeys in an immersive woodland exhibit, reflecting their natural habitat as closely as possible.
The area will also include Endangered African grey parrots, as well as Critically Endangered slender-snouted crocodiles and extremely rare species of West African fish, which visitors will be able to see in a new underwater viewing area.
Justin Morris, chief executive of Bristol Zoological Society, said: “Our journey to develop a progressive conservation zoo at Wild Place Project has moved a significant step forward, with the sale of the West Car Park in Clifton to the Hill Group. The sale follows Bristol City Council’s decision to grant planning permission for West Car Park at the end of last year. An application for a judicial review on the decision was refused, which means planning permission for the site is now beyond challenge.
“As Clifton residents since 1836, we want to leave behind a legacy that we can all be proud of. The Hill group have developed a high-quality housing proposal for our former car park, which delivers this, and provides sustainable, much-needed homes for Bristol of which 20 per cent will be affordable.
“With our planning application for the sale of Bristol Zoo Gardens also approved by Bristol City Council, it is great to see the progress being made on the redevelopment of this historically important location.”
Savills, who acted for Bristol Zoological Society in the sale, will be marketing the Bristol Zoo Gardens site later this year.
