Protestors gather outside property developer to save Bristol Zoo heritage site

The Save Bristol Gardens Alliance gathered to protest outside Acorn Property Group’s offices in Clifton on 25 March.

Ever since the closure of Bristol Zoo in September 2022, campaigners have been opposing the site’s planned redevelopment.

The Alliance wants see the gardens preserved as “a site of huge cultural, historical and environmental importance with many listed buildings.”

Acorn Property Group

Although the sale of the former Bristol Zoo has not yet gone through, campaigners say that Acorn have nonetheless started clearing bushes and felling trees.

Campaigners have also raised concerns about Acorn’s track record, and have written to the Bristol Zoological Society (BZS) repeatedly to register their objections.

A spokesperson for Save Bristol Gardens Alliance said:

Acorn Property Group is a wholly unsuitable developer for the Zoo Gardens site, and it seems clear that BZS Trustees have failed to complete independent due diligence on Acorn.

Our concerns relate directly to the reputation, financial resilience, track record, and funding model of Acorn, as well as to the likelihood of Acorn not delivering on its agreement with BZS, the development itself or indeed any of the so-called ‘public benefits’.

Given the site’s importance to the local area, campaigners are also disappointed in the lack of transparency surrounding the planned redevelopment. The spokesperson continued:

Trustees are required to demonstrate that they have properly scrutinised risk, applied independent judgement and operated transparently – particularly in relation to decisions of this scale and sensitivity.

Given the significance of the decision and the level of public interest the people of Bristol are entitled to expect transparent decision making. It is not enough just to delegate due diligence to Savills, who of course act for Acorn in respect of a number of other developments.

So far, the Society “have declined to answer a single point” the Alliance has raised. They are now urging the BZS “to address these concerns fully and transparently before any contractual commitment is completed.”

They argue that the BZS “risks making a reckless decision, which could be catastrophic for trustee reputations, BZS’s reputation and, of course, for a treasured part of Bristol’s heritage.”

More protests to come

The protest on 25 March was the third – and largest – protest to take place outside Acorn’s offices in recent weeks. 50 members of the Save Bristol Gardens Alliance first gathered there on 11 March.

A spokesperson for Acorn Property Group has said they are “really disappointed with the decision to continue to demonstrate outside our offices”:

We will be completing the sale and developing this prestigious scheme. To reaffirm, we are committed to creating a new community space, opening the gardens for free public access, and providing a mix of affordable and open-market homes.

We welcome open discussion with the local community on this project. We have met with local councillors and had a meeting arranged for this week with the Save Bristol Gardens Alliance, which they rescheduled.

The spokesperson added: “We will always welcome open dialogue, but this has to be in a constructive forum.”

The Save Bristol Gardens Alliance has announced it will demonstrate outside Acorn’s offices every Wednesday at 12:30.

Featured image via the Save Bristol Gardens Alliance