Plans for housing at Bristol Zoo Gardens site APPROVED
Around 10,000 people have signed a petition opposing the idea
Last updated 26th Apr 2023
Plans to build nearly 200 homes on the now closed Bristol Zoo Gardens site in Clifton have been approved, during an emotionally charged planning meeting at City Hall.
The Bristol Zoological Society, which currently owns the site first announced their plans in 2020, saying their financial position had been deteriorating for many years and selling the site for homes would allow them to create a bigger, better zoo at their sister site Wild Place Project in South Gloucestershire.
However, the decision has sparked passionate opposition, with nearly 10,000 people having signed a petition against the plans at time of writing.
There were cries of "awful" from the public gallery as details of the proposed housing were shown on a big screen.
Why is this decision considered so controversial?
By the time it closed in September 2022, Bristol Zoo Gardens had existed in Clifton for 186 years, making it one of the oldest zoos in the world.
It was much loved by many residents, so much so that one in particular, Tom Jones from Cliftonwood, analysed in detail the Zoological Society's reasons for closing the site and concluded the decision was not necessary.
He and others are so convinced of this that a protest march against the closure was held through Bristol in March.
What reasons were given for closing?
Bristol Zoological Society gave two primary reasons as to why closing the Clifton site was necessary.
The first is financial, with the Society insisting its finances had been steadily deteriorating for many years.
During the planning meeting Chris Booy, giving a public statement in support of the application, said visitor numbers had declined by 35 per cent from 1999 to 2019.
It follows that the amount of income the zoo was generating, was therefore decreasing.
Secondly, the Zoological Society says the Clifton site is no longer in keeping with its commitment to conservation, as it is many times smaller than Wild Place and is entirely enclosed, therefore preventing any future expansion on site to improve animal welfare.
To supplement that, the Society has always said the gardens on site, which were hugely popular, will open to the public for free for the first time under the plans, the homes proposed will help solve a shortage in the city and the plans will actually cause a biodiversity net gain on the site.
The opposing view
In an 80 page report the group Save Bristol Zoo Gardens (SBZG), led by Tom Jones, analyses the zoo's position and concludes all the above statements are misleading.
They say the zoo's financial position was actually much stronger than suggested, with more than £1 million made through zoo membership fees in 2019 (more than any previous year).
On the size of the Clifton site and comparisons with the size of Wild Place, SBZG say some of the Wild Place site actually cannot be built upon and regarding the Clifton gardens being opened to the public for free, they argue that legally that cannot be guaranteed for more than five years.
You can read more about all these points and more, plus the Society's response to them, here.
The comments
During the planning meeting many members of the public spoke on the plans and most opposed the idea.
Perhaps the most memorable statement was made by former Bristol Mayor George Ferguson.
“Make no mistake, this is a Bristol establishment stitch up - and I should know," he said.
"This is the last chance for Bristol to stick to its ecological principles and put ourselves onto the right side of history.
"We will be laughed at from outside this city if you approve this dire application.
"It will be ugly, it will be inappropriate, and it will provide a derisory contribution to our affordable housing need.”
Others to speak included Chris Jeffries on behalf of the Clifton and Hotwells Improvement Society, who said the proposed housing would not be in keeping with the Victorian architecture of the area.
“Bristol City Council has legal duty to protect or enhance the conservation area," he said.
Another pointed out that Bristol's Local Plan, a council document which dictates how and where the city should develop, states any housing development proposed in the Clifton area should feature 40 per cent affordable homes and not 20 per cent as proposed in this case.
However, it was clarified by planning officers that 20 per cent affordable housing is considered acceptable if the housing is set to be delivered "quickly".
Some did speak in favour, including the groups Visit Bristol and the Avon Gorge and Downs Wildlife Project, the latter of which said plans to transform the old zoo entrance into a conservation hub would help them attract people to explore local wildlife.
An establishment stich up?
Emotions were already running high hours before the planning meeting began, with the Save Bristol Zoo Gardens (SBZG) campaign group accusing Bristol Mayor Marvin Rees of blocking them on Twitter.
On Tuesday evening Mr Rees shared on blog written by Zoological Society chief executive Justin Morris and called the plans "exciting", saying he hopes they're approved.
This was called an "outrageous" intervention in the planning process by SBZG, "disgraceful" by former Mayor Ferguson and led to accusations council leadership had conspired to ensure the application was approved, even before the meeting began.
This was strongly denied by the chair of the committee Richard Eddy and other councillors.
The Zoological Society reaction
After the meeting Justin Morris told us he was "really pleased" with the outcome.
"I'm pleased for two reasons," he said.
"Firstly because I genuinely believe it's a good scheme for the Clifton site.
"I think it's a good for people, I think it's good for wildlife, new housing, new affordable housing and importantly for the people of Bristol, a free public garden that they can continue to visit in the future.
"But I'm also pleased because it allows us to continue to move forward with our strategy.
"(To) continue to move forward with our plans for the Bristol Zoo Project at the Wild Place site, continue with our conservation work, our education work, so on all of those fronts it's a positive step forward and I'm pleased with the outcome."