‘Game-changing’ expansion for park
A major 150acre expansion planned for one of Yorkshire’s biggest tourist attractions, the Yorkshire Wildlife Park could be a ‘game changer’ for Doncaster, it has been claimed.
A MAJOR expansion of one of Yorkshire’s biggest tourist attractions could be a “game changer” for Doncaster, it has been claimed.
A 150-acre expansion of Yorkshire Wildlife Park would create more than 300 jobs and give a £50m boost to the local economy, the park’s directors said, as they submitted plans for the ambitious project to Doncaster Council yesterday.
The plans would see improved facilities and increase the number of species cared for at the park in Branton, Doncaster, which aims to become one of the leading destinations in the UK.
Plans for the first stage of the project feature a new entrance and car park on land adjacent to the current site, and further applications to follow will include new animal reserves, lakes and landscaping and a visitor ‘hub’ at the new entrance with restaurants and a destination hotel.
Just under a third of the new area will be dedicated to animals, while more than 50 per cent will be landscaping and woodlands.
An economic impact study compiled for the application revealed nearly 1,500 extra indirect jobs in the regional supplier chain, in addition to the extra posts equivalent to 300 full-time jobs directly attributable to the park, doubling the overall workforce. The work, if approved, would take two years to complete.
“This is significant investment and a step change for Yorkshire Wildlife Park,” said chief executive John Minion. “We have been working hard to create an expansion that is in keeping with the ethos of the park and is an asset for local people to enjoy and benefit from. We believe that it will bring great benefit to the area.”
Residents living near the park were consulted prior to the application being submitted, with a 78.3 per cent positive response.
Yorkshire Wildlife Park opened in 2009 and is currently home to 400 animals from 80 different species – including England’s only polar bears. Its conservation work includes protecting endangered species such as Amur tigers, leopards and African painted dogs.
Since opening, the park has invested £14.8m in its development, and last year saw a record 761,000 visitors.
Director Cheryl Williams said: “This expansion will allow us to take our conservation work to another level. But providing an excellent visitor experience is the key to what we do. This could also be a game changing development for Doncaster as a UK destination.
“Leisure has become a key part of the Doncaster story. Our development is located close to Doncaster Sheffield Airport, Doncaster Racecourse and the new proposed PGA Golf course at Rossington. This will provide a critical mass of world class tourist attractions and bring an international audience to Doncaster.”
The Mayor of Doncaster Ros Jones welcomed the plans, which she said would see the park “go from strength to strength”.
She added: “The Yorkshire Wildlife Park is a fantastic success story and a great asset for Doncaster. It offers a superb visitor experience, delivers valuable conservation work, and provides hundreds of jobs and a multi-million-pound contribution to our economy.”
Welcome to Yorkshire’s chief executive, Sir Gary Verity, added: “This is a very exciting development for the team at Yorkshire Wildlife Park who have done a fantastic job developing the attraction since it opened in 2009.
“This expansion will enable more conservation work and protection of endangered species, and I have no doubt visitors to the park will benefit greatly from these development plans.”
This could be a game changing development for Doncaster. YWP director Cheryl Williams