What I feared...Its taken over six months from the Judicial Revue to get the outcome announcement but how much longer will this all drag on I wonder. (In my own town consultations/arguments over what to do with a defunct council offices building dragged on for ten years before it was finally demolished). I sincerely hope we don't see something like that at Bristol! I really want the new zoo to flourish but don't see how it can reach its full potential until this dilemma is finally solved.
Bristol Zoo Project Bristol zoo project news 2025
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What I feared...Its taken over six months from the Judicial Revue to get the outcome announcement but how much longer will this all drag on I wonder. (In my own town consultations/arguments over what to do with a defunct council offices building dragged on for ten years before it was finally demolished). I sincerely hope we don't see something like that at Bristol! I really want the new zoo to flourish but don't see how it can reach its full potential until this dilemma is finally solved.
Lafone
Well-Known Member
At this point surely these people should look up the term 'move on'.
It really is completely pointless to continue. The Judge has ruled all the correct processes were followed in the planning application process, so there is nothing else to bring an action on. A JR can't go ahead now as it has been refused and the campaigners cannot raise the same grounds in any new action.
These are the legal findings, for those interested (from the chambers of the Barristers who acted for the zoo).
High Court refuses Judicial Review of decision to redevelop Bristol Zoo Gardens, providing guidance on Biodiversity Net Gain, Carbon Calculations and Open Space - No5 Barristers' Chambers
https://www.no5.com/wp-content/uplo...-000142-SBGAL-v-Bristol-CC-Judgment-Final.pdf
Strathmorezoo
Well-Known Member
That's what I was thinking
Lafone
Well-Known Member
They have to have new and different grounds to raise a new case. They can't revist old grounds nor explore the same planning issues or areas again. In order to raise another case they'd need a completely new argument and given the judgement indicates they threw the kitchen sink at this one, it will be interesting to see if they can come up with something novel.
Thanks Lafone, you’ve e explained this really well & it seems very complex. I run past and around the old Clifton site once a week at the moment and it seems so small now. It’s like revisiting your old primary school, where as a kid it felt so big. Regardless of how local residents feel about the loss of the zoo, the site is way too small for a modern wildlife attraction, and the Cribbs setting is much more appropriate. I wish the society and BZP team all the best in moving forward and hope they can recover some legal costs.
So could the Zoo complete the sale at the present time while 'there is no legal challenge' i.e. before the Alliance has managed to come up with a different one(if indeed they plan to) Or does there have to be a set period with no legal challenge taking place perhaps? I do agree they seem to have used all their arguments this time round....possibly.
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Lafone
Well-Known Member
There doesn't appear to be a set period. The planning permission was already granted so it also doesn't appear to need to be resubmitted.
No doubt the campaigners will attempt something else, though their fundraising page blames the zoo completely (20 job losses must be just a joke to them) and states there are still 'alternative' uses of the site they will pursue. The main one being an arboretum (which has no funding or funding proposals).
According to the publicly available mutual society records (accessible via links on companies house) the Save Bristol gardens alliance only had assets in total in 2024 of £30k (turnover of £36k) and the explicit statement is made in the filing that any monies will be used to fund the JR. Now the JR has been refused and cannot progress and they are still fundraising, it begs the question what they are spending the money on. Last account filings are here.
Mutuals Public Register: Save Bristol Gardens Alliance Limited
file:///J:/Annual%20Return%20and%20Accounts.pdf
It's interesting that they can justify this being a beneficial society - to have one you have to clearly define a community benefit and they state the community benefit is contesting the different use of the Bristol gardens site. With the JR refused I wonder if their status could come under scrutiny.
I am actually thoroughly against poor planning measures being allowed to destroy natural spaces but this whole affair feels NIMBYist to me. It feels a bit like one of those leaked local council zoom meetings during Covid, where people with too much time on their hands and too few real world problems screamed pointless nonsense at each other.