More details revealed of plan for ‘world first’ augmented reality zoo

A circular lido, ‘wild island’ and 100-foot viewing tower would all be part of the “magic” of the world’s first virtual zoo if it is created at the current site of Bristol Zoo.

Members of the Our World Bristol campaign set out the case for their £75m project for the Clifton site – an alternative to the zoo’s plans for housing – at a public meeting on Monday.

There will be no parking apart from some disabled parking spaces and a small number of “operational” spaces at the proposed visitor attraction, described as the “world’s first augmented reality zoo”

Bristol Zoological Society, which owns Bristol Zoo Gardens, announced last year that the Clifton site would be sold and the zoo would move into the Wild Place Project, near junction 17 of the M5 in South Gloucestershire.

It plans to sell the land with planning permission for housing to raise enough money to secure a “long-term sustainable future” for the society and its mission to save wildlife from extinction.

But architect and former city mayor George Ferguson told those who attended the online meeting hosted by the Bristol Civic Society that Our World Bristol proposal would bring more benefits to the city.

Our World Bristol’s ambition is to create the world’s first augmented reality zoo

Ferguson, a prominent member of the campaign, said the project would be “entertaining but also hugely educational” for children right across the city and beyond.

The former mayor also claimed the zoo’s plans to sell the land with planning permission for a “posh housing estate” would make Clifton even less diverse and leave it “a rich person’s residential suburb”.

The zoo will present its case at another online meeting hosted by the Bristol Civic Society on November 10.

Ferguson and Clare Wilks, director at Bristol-based design and planning consultancy LDA Design, fleshed out the Our World proposal, which has had input from the team behind the Eden Project.

The plans would preserve the listed buildings at the 186-year-old zoo, demolish the “crud”, and enhance the landscape while keeping the lake, loop road and dozens of protected trees intact, they said.

A new circular lido and 100-foot viewing tower would sit alongside familiar landmarks such as the zoo entrance, the giraffe house, the lion house and the World of Water building.

A “wild island” that would be a “human no-go zone” would be part of the new landscape enriched with planting for bees and insects.

More entrances would be created so that members of the public would be able to enjoy the gardens for free, and a raised “gallery promenade” for visitors would go around the edge of the site.

A new circular lido and 100-foot viewing tower would sit alongside familiar landmarks such as the zoo entrance, the giraffe house, the lion house and the World of Water building

People would be charged for such things as the visors necessary to enjoy the augmented reality experience on offer, but prices would be kept at a level that “doesn’t exclude anyone”, according to Ferguson.

Wilks said: “A network of meandering paths would give a good feeling of discovery and play.

“There would also be amphitheatres, grottos, lawns to create stages and exhibitions, and really create a great magical experience.”

She said the gardens would be a “playground for the imagination” and the “technology of tomorrow” proposed would keep the site relevant for the next 100 years.

Ferguson said visitors would also encounter large beasts built by Arcadia, the company behind the giant spider that has become a regular feature of Glastonbury music festivals.

“Regenerating the site is the most important thing to do…and creating magic,” he said.

He said Our World Bristol would be “an oasis for learning of global significance” and it was appropriate that Bristol Zoo, which was the world’s first provincial zoo, should become “the first augmented reality zoo in the world”.

A shuttle service will connect the visitor attraction to Bristol Temple Meads and Park & Rides and those leading the project propose to run outreach sessions for children in schools.

Asked about the cost of the project, Ferguson said it would depend on whether the zoo gets planning permission to build housing on the main site.

The zoo has already won approval to build 62 homes on the West Car Park in College Road.

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Read more: ‘New homes in Clifton will tackle the housing crisis and secure the future of Bristol Zoo’

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Ferguson said the value of the main zoo site would shoot up from about £15million to an estimated £45m if it comes with planning permission for housing.

Our World Bristol has factored in about £25m to buy the site, but could get “close” to the £45m mark with contributions from other interested parties, he said.

Overall, the attraction would cost about £75m over the five to seven years it would take to complete and would expect around 0.5million visitors a year.

Ferguson said: “What is really important is that we just don’t go for highest price [for visitors], certainly in terms of the schools, and that one does have a pricing structure that doesn’t exclude anyone.”

The Clifton and Hotwells Improvement Society (CHIS) has successfully applied for Bristol Zoo Gardens to become an asset of community value. This means the community group will have the right to bid for the site if it goes up for sale in the next five years.

Amanda Cameron is a local democracy reporter for Bristol

CGI images courtesy of LDA Design 

Read more: ‘We need to build on Bristol Zoo’s legacy – not sell the site for housing’

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