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Zoo News
Edinburgh Zoo’s Chief Executive calls for public support
David Windmill, the Chief Executive of the Royal Zoological Society of Scotland, the charity that owns Edinburgh Zoo and Highland Wildlife Park, has called for members of the public to show their support for Edinburgh Zoo. This move comes just weeks before the public inquiry into the City of Edinburgh Council’s Local Plan, a key element of which is the Zoo’s proposed development of surplus land to fund much-needed improvements to infrastructure. Approval for this was initially granted in 2007 but this decision was reversed later in the year by the new Council administration in producing its Local Plan for the city. If this decision is not reconsidered by the Council it will place the Zoo under severe financial pressure.
The Chief Executive is welcoming letters of support from the public and hopes that this will
demonstrate the invaluable support that the Zoo has, ahead of these meetings with the
Council. You can also express support by sending an email to:
supportus@rzss.org.uk
David Windmill explains further:
“The future of Edinburgh Zoo depends upon our providing an exciting and inspiring day out for our visitors. We will do this by creating a unique and constantly changing collection of animals housed in modern and imaginative enclosures with interpretation that connects our animals to their conservation in the wild. We must also provide good quality restaurants, shops, toilets and other facilities which visitors nowadays expect. Budongo Trail, Rainbow Landings and Living Links set the standard for our future Zoo.
All this takes money and lots of it with a Zoo nearly 100 years old and covering 87 acres. In the absence of any government or local authority funding the Society has to rely entirely on its own resources. This is why the Society needs to raise substantial sums of money by developing some surplus land along the western boundary of the Zoo.
If we are not successful it is a serious matter for the Society and, dare I suggest, the city of Edinburgh. Glasgow Zoo shows what can happen when a popular visitor attraction fails to invest in its facilities.
The issue is simple. Does the city of Edinburgh want a world-class visitor attraction and conservation organisation? We have the ideas, the plans and the passion to bring them to fruition. Despite regular and widespread consultation nobody has come up with alternative plans, only that we should be prevented from going ahead.
I would encourage you to write to me. If we can show that the public support the Zoo and our plans for the future, it will hopefully play a part in the Council’s final decision.”
Ends
For further info, please contact Maxine Finlay, Communications Officer 0131 314 0312
Editor's Notes
- A feasibility study revealed that the land to the west of the Zoo was surplus to the animal needs of the proposed new collection and was in contravention of the Disability Discrimination Act (1995) due to its steep gradient making it an area visitors could not use.
- Any profit made from housing developments would be channelled back into the Zoo to help it realise its aim of becoming a world class visitor attraction with the potential to bring in an estimated £1billion to the economy of Edinburgh & Lothian over the next 20 years.
- It is estimated that Edinburgh Zoo’s Masterplan would cost approximately £72 million.
- Edinburgh Zoo welcomes around 650,000 visitors a year, and is the second top paid tourist attraction in Scotland.
- Edinburgh Zoo is owned by the Royal Zoological Society of Scotland, a registered charity, charity no SC004064.
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