Bristol Zoo applies to continue using an area of the Downs for overflow car parking

Bristol Zoo has submitted a planning application to Bristol City Council to request permission to continue parking cars on an area of the Downs on busy days.

The Zoo is seeking planning permission to park cars on the designated site, near Ladies Mile, only when the Zoo's normal car parks are both full, on up to 60 days a year.

The Zoo's current planning permission to use the site for overflow parking expires in May and the Zoo will be applying for a five year renewal of the existing temporary permission.

The Downs is the responsibility of the Downs Committee, which recently agreed to renew the licence granted to the Zoo to use the site off Ladies Mile for the next five years, subject to receiving planning permission from the council.

A spokesman said: "The Zoo has worked with expert consultants to carry out a comprehensive feasibility study to investigate any potential alternatives to using overflow parking at Ladies' Mile. This work has shown that there is a need to continue overflow parking on Ladies Mile for some years to come, in order to meet the travel needs of its visitors in the most responsible way.

"The Zoo has also worked jointly with Bristol City Council on ways of encouraging visitors to travel to the Zoo by means other than the private car. It continues to do so by reviewing and improving its Green Travel plans."

The Zoo has recently been accredited for this work by the West of England Sustainable Business Travel Plan Scheme 'for demonstrating significant progress in implementing measures aimed at reducing the environmental and congestion impact of their travel activities'

Director of Bristol Zoo Gardens, Dr Bryan Carroll, said: "Despite these initiatives there remains a continuing need, on peak days, for overflow parking. Without these facilities, substantial uncontrolled parking on Clifton streets will take place, with associated adverse implications on congestion, safety and residential amenity."

He added: "We take our commitment to green travel plans very seriously. We encourage our staff to car share or travel by public transport. However, as the most popular visitor attraction in the city, we accept that our guests will be discouraged from visiting if there is inadequate parking. We are therefore only putting forward this proposal after very careful consideration of all the other options."