Chester Zoo ‘Grasslands’ given green light

Cheshire West and Chester Council have unanimously granted planning permission for the ‘Grasslands’ development, an extensive African savannah attraction at Chester Zoo.

Gillespies are leading the development of the Grasslands masterplan, working closely with Chester Zoo’s in-house teams, as well as a team of external consultants, to create a unique, immersive and truly memorable naturalistic landscape that will connect more people than ever before with nature.

The centrepiece will be a large, open African savannah habitat, home to many rare species including the Rothschild’s giraffe and Grevy’s zebra, and will also include an African Wetlands Aviary and the Zoo’s Tsavo experience, featuring Eastern black rhino and African painted dogs.

The project includes a restaurant with views over the savannah, alongside overnight accommodation made up of luxury lodges and safari-style tents overlooking a lake.

Jamie Christon, the zoo’s Chief Operating Officer, said:

“Grasslands will be a phenomenal experience and will cement Chester Zoo’s standing as one of the world’s very best attractions. Crucially, it will bring our vital, global conservation work to life for visitors, while boosting the zoo’s charitable income to further help achieve our mission to prevent extinction, here in the UK and around the world”

The project will open to the public in 2022.