Exotic Zoo Wildlife Park plan for Telford Town Park
An exotic zoo wildlife park could be added to Telford Town Park, “enhancing the recreation facilities and encouraging more visitors”, if plans are approved.
Exotic Zoo Wildlife Park Ltd director Scott Adams has applied to redevelop just under four acres of land at the south end of the park, west of Randlay Pool.
Plans submitted to Telford and Wrekin Council’s planning department show facilities including classroom and museum buildings and themed animal enclosures.
Mr Adams has also shared the plans on Facebook and said they were thrilled to be able to show the public.
He said: "With never ending amounts of sleepless nights and relentless work behind the scenes, we are super excited to announce that the official plans are logged and in for the all new Exotic Zoo Wildlife Park.
"There has been so many people involved to make this happen from planners, architects, building regs, ecologists, and support from an amazing team at Exotic Zoo. You all know how you are and thank you!"
He added: "We look forward to you all sharing this new journey with us and welcoming you to the new zoo in the near future! We are missing you all and so are the animals."
A design statement says the company, which ran the Exotic Zoo, hopes to move to “a more central and larger location”, after closing the Priorslee site to the public in February.
The proposed site for the relocated zoo is next to the car park on Dark Lane, south of Telford town centre.
An entrance and reception building, staff-only, classroom and museum buildings, two toilet blocks, a glass dome, a “desert area enclosure, a “nocturnal enclosure” and open-air animal enclosures are proposed.
A design statement, prepared on Mr Adams’s behalf by biT Group, says the site “consists of the former contractor’s maintenance yard and adjoining Town Park land”.
It adds: “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.”
Great Dawley Town Council will be consulted about the application, and Telford and Wrekin Council’s planning department will make its decision at a later date.
