Plans for new park and homes in Bristol Zoo Gardens recommended for approval by Council planning officers

Bristol City Council officers have recommended for approval the plans for the redevelopment of the Bristol Zoo Gardens site in Clifton, which include building 196 new homes, while providing free public access to the gardens for the first time in 186 years, for leisure, recreation and community activities

Bristol Zoological Society plans to sell the 12-acre site to help fund the creation of a new Bristol Zoo at its Wild Place Project on the outskirts of Bristol, which will have conservation at its heart. The new Zoo will offer spacious, modern facilities, significant growth in conservation and education work and an innovative visitor experience.

Bristol Zoological Society has led the detailed planning application for the development of Bristol Zoo Gardens to ensure it protects the legacy of these important gardens, and to secure the future of the charity.

The Society originally submitted a planning application in May 2022, before revising and resubmitting it in late October 2022 in response to feedback from Bristol City Council, Historic England and Design West.

The plans will see  the site become accessible to the public, with day time access as a park for leisure, recreation and curated events in the evenings, and the gardens open to the public for free, for the first time since the site opened in 1836.

The Grade II listed entrance lodge will be retained by Bristol Zoological Society, and offer a  café, exhibition space,community rooms and public toilets, as well as providing  a permanent base for the Avon Gorge & Downs Wildlife Project. A  nature-inspired play area and theatre are also included in the plans – facilities not currently available in the vicinity of the site.

Other plans include 196 high-quality, sustainable homes, located mainly around the perimeter of the site. Homes will range in size to encourage different generations to live there, and 20 percent will be affordable.

In response to feedback received, further improvements in the resubmitted plans include enhancements to the entrances to the site to encourage greater public access, the addition of a pedestrian-only entrance along College Road, a reduction in the height of the proposed extension to the Clock Tower building, and improvements to the design of the apartment blocks along Clifton Down.

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.”

In response to the plans, Historic England said: “The ability for visitors to enter the site, free of charge, post-redevelopment, is a significant heritage benefit. Generally, Historic England finds much to admire in the proposed development, which we feel on the whole is a sensitive response to its historic context.”

A separate planning application for 62 new homes on the West Car Park, a Clifton brownfield site belonging to Bristol Zoological Society was approved by councillors in November last year.

Additional information is available at future.bristolzoo.org.uk.