Hundreds march to protest plans for former Bristol Zoo site

Hundreds of people marched from the Victoria Rooms in Clifton to the former Bristol Zoo site on Sunday to protest against a proposed housing development planned for the historic attraction.

The march saw children dressed as animals and signs reading ‘Save our zoo’, ‘Meerkats not mansions’ and ‘Stop the development’.

Zoo bosses say they are “really proud of the quality of the proposals submitted” for the Clifton site which “brings much needed housing for Bristol”.

Families who have enjoyed visiting the zoo before its closure came to support the campaign – photo: Mia Vines Booth

But campaigners from Save Bristol Zoo Gardens want the proposals to be rejected by councillors to allow time for a plan that keeps the site as a “treasured pace for the people of Bristol.”

The plans for hundreds of flats and homes on the site have not yet been approved by the council, which was due to make a decision on Wednesday, March 15, but this meeting has now been postponed.

Alastair Sawday, founder of Sawday’s holidays and environmental campaigner, led the march with Tom Jones, a musician and lifelong Bristol resident.

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Read more: ‘Quite simply we want our zoo not to be taken away from us’

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“You are part of this, this is your zoo, this is your site, it’s your gardens, and it certainly shouldn’t be your luxury housing estate,” Sawday said.

Also in attendance was former Bristol mayor, George Ferguson, who said he would be raising money “for a large gravestone to the zoo” with the words “RIP Bristol Zoo, killed off by a list of those who did.”

“It is a really proud thing that we have this wonderful walled garden here,” he said.

“We have to make people realise that if they turn this down, they will have killed off one of Bristol’s, if not Bristol’s finest natural treasures.”

“(Bristol Zoo) has been absolutely at the heart of Bristol’s history and reputation, especially as the only European green capital that the UK will ever have if we go the way we are going,” said Ferguson.

“Shame on them. Make sure people realise that they will be on the wrong side of history if they support the closure of these gardens.”

Bristol Zoo closed to the public in September 2022, with some animals moved to the Wild Place near Cribbs Causeway, and most others relocated to other zoos.

Save Bristol Zoo Gardens campaigners believe there is still time to reverse the zoo’s closure, and prevent “exclusive housing for the fortunate few”.

In their response to Save Bristol Zoo Gardens, a statement on the zoo website says: “The design brings much needed housing for Bristol, with 196 high-quality homes – of which 20 per cent will be affordable – located mainly in areas where there are already built structures.

‘These plans will secure the site as a vital community asset, so everyone can enjoy its heritage for many years to come.

Aerial view of the latest proposed development of the former Bristol Zoo site – photo: Bristol Zoo

“Approximately 80 per cent of the site will be retained as open space and the gardens will be accessible to the public for free, for the first time since the site opened to the public in 1836.

“Historic England has called this ‘a significant heritage benefit’, saying there is much to admire in the proposed development which they feel, on the whole, is a sensitive response to its historic context.”

Save Bristol Zoo Gardens have said they will be carrying out more campaigns in summer.

Main photo: Mia Vines Booth

Read next:

• Campaigners accuse Bristol Zoo of misleading the public
• New Bristol Zoo to be built at Wild Place from 2024
• Plans approved for 62 new homes on former zoo car park

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