Bristol Zoo's old car park at Clifton sold for housing

Bristol Zoo Gardens' former car park at Clifton has been sold to fund the first phase of construction of a new conservation zoo at Wild Place Project at Blackhorse Hill near Cribb's Causeway.

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 which will build 62 high quality homes, 20 per cent of which will be affordable (it says), at the site.

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."

READ MORE Team appointed to lead redevelopment of Bristol Zoo gardens

Savills, who acted for Bristol Zoological Society in the sale, will be marketing the Bristol Zoo Gardens site later this year.

At the Wild Place Project, to be called Bristol Zoo Project from summer 2023, the Society will create new visitor facilities, play areas, 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.