Zoo’s replacement must be something truly exceptional for the wider world
WHEN I heard the news that Bristol Zoo was to move out of the city and into South Gloucestershire it brought back many childhood memories.
Growing up on the wrong side of the tracks, as it were, the zoo was a sanctuary for me. Somehow I felt close to the animals that lived there and spent a disproportionate amount of any money I had visiting.
My dad had a famous namesake who had lived there from 1930 so he was always very supportive of my frequent visits. Alfred, a western lowland gorilla (1928-1948) was a much-loved tenant who just happened to share my dad’s name.
Bristol Zoo has always been special, not just to me and generations of other Bristol school children, but for its conservation work. This work will continue after it moves to its new, much-larger home near The Mall, at Cribbs Causeway.
But what will happen to the valuable site the zoo currently occupies in Clifton?
Housing would probably pay the most, but we can build houses in other places. This is a hugely important site in possibly the most valuable part of the city.
If Bristol is to enhance and grow its green credentials, something wonderful needs to go there.
It needs to be exceptional and provide something extraordinary, not only for Bristol and the region, but for the world.
I believe the site should become a specialist educational arboretum with a high-quality hotel, restaurant, lake, and learning centre at its core. Trees native to Britain could be planted and generations of future school children could learn about the importance of clean air and organic food production.
If done properly, with thought for the environment, it could become one of Britain’s biggest tourist attractions.
It seems appropriate for the project to focus on climate change - and the importance of trees and the natural environment to the future of our world.
The project could be privately funded and return Bristol Zoo more money than it might get from a purely commercial developer. That is without the obvious deep societal benefits such a project would bring.
As a Bristolian, who has been a property developer and investor for around 50 years, it might surprise some that I would promote an idea which isn’t based purely on potential profit.
However, there are more important things in life than money, including the future of humanity.
We must act now to protect our planet and create a better life for more people.
If the current pandemic has taught us anything it has surely taught us that.
Whatever happens, we must not let this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to build something special escape us.
I believe the site should become a specialist educational arboretum with a high-quality hotel, restaurant, lake, and learning centre