Bristol Zoo site 'cannot be solely Clifton asset'

Dr Justin Morris said the gardens would be free for the public to use once they had been redeveloped

The boss of a zoo that is closing said it was important the former site becomes a facility for the whole city.

Bristol Zoo, which opened in the suburb of Clifton in 1836, will move to a new home in September.

More details of how the current site will be used have been revealed ahead of a planning application.

Chief executive Dr Justin Morris said it was important a "legacy" was left which the whole of Bristol could enjoy, and not only residents of Clifton.

The planning application, which is likely to be submitted to Bristol City Council before the summer, includes about 206 homes.

There are provisions to preserve many of the green spaces in the zoo and to make it free for the public to enter.

More than 200 homes would be built as part of the redevelopment of the zoo

The zoo will move from Clifton to the north of the city later in 2022

Zoo managers said much of the current layout would be preserved including the theatre area and main lawn.

More entrances will be added so the site can be accessed more easily and a children's playground will also be built.

An alternative future for the zoo has been backed by the former Bristol mayor George Ferguson, who said it was important the 12-acre site did not become a "posh person's housing estate".

'Valuable community asset'

Dr Morris said: "If it was just a public garden that people in Clifton could visit then that wouldn't be a great enough legacy from us to the people of Bristol.

"We've been here for more than 185 years so we take the responsibility for the future of the site very seriously.

"This is a valuable community asset, not just community in the sense of Clifton but actually communities across Bristol and across generations."

Dr Morris said it was important the public's views were heard as the zoo site is transformed

Dr Morris said some animals would be moved to the new zoo but many were being rehomed elsewhere and there were "mixed emotions" about the next phase.

"Of course it is sad, and I don't think we should shy away from that, for all of us who work in the organisation and visit it.

"At the same time though, there is an excitement about what comes next."

A public consultation event will be held at the zoo between 15:00 and 19:30 GMT on 24 March.