Telford Exotic Zoo gets go-ahead to open new wildlife attraction at town park
Plans for a new wildlife attraction at Telford Town Park have been granted the go-ahead.
Exotic Zoo closed the public side of its site in Priorslee earlier this year.
Following a planning application, permission has been granted for the attraction to create a new wildlife park in the heart of Telford Town Park, on land adjacent to the Dark Lane car park.
Development of the new site will include alterations to an existing barn building, and the erection of a reception building, a staff area building, a classroom building, two toilet blocks, a museum building, a desert area enclosure, and a nocturnal enclosure.
Speaking earlier this year when the possibility of the new site was announced, zoo director Scott Adams said: “The zoo’s ethos always aimed to be a local attraction for the benefit of Telford and its community.
"The opportunity to move to a much bigger space with parking and access directly from the town park and Southwater and the chance to work together with the council to provide an affordable destination for the whole family is really exciting."
Back in May, the attraction revealed its plans to the public via social media:
A design statement submitted with the plans, prepared on Mr Adams’ behalf by biT Group, says the site “consists of the former contractor’s maintenance yard and adjoining Town Park land”.
It added: “It is proposed to make use of the existing buildings and amend and update to suit the new uses.
“The site would be used for the owners’ community activities involved in education, animal therapy and interventions and other educations experiences.
“The layout of the site is designed to provide themed areas, based on the habitat that the animals live in.
“The development of the disused site as a zoological garden would enhance and complement the existing recreation and leisure facilities of the Town Park and, given its position, would potentially increase the footfall to various developments within Southwater and the town centre.
“The loss of green land and parkland has been reduced to a minimum and the area which is to be lost is within an area of unusable parkland.
“The development provides an accessible and ecologically-diverse green space which improves on the current unused space.”
