Open letter to Clifton Green Party Councillor Paula O’Rourke from former Mayor George Ferguson
Dear Paula,
Your surprising statement in Clifton Voice supported the expenditure of tens of thousands of pounds of scarce City Council funds on the legal defence of what you and most Green councillors once considered indefensible. That is the environmental destruction of one of the Victorians’ greatest legacies to our city – the 12 acre walled Bristol Zoo Gardens of 1836.
I write independently, as a member and supporter of the Bristol Zoo Society and its wider aims, but share the deep concerns of the Save Bristol Gardens Alliance who have put their money where their mouth is. I am sure we all agree that we are faced with a dire housing crisis but that is no reason to sacrifice sites of significant historic and environmental importance for what is a relatively small, but highly privileged, housing contribution seen against the need for tens of thousands of genuinely affordable homes across the city region. It was the three Green councillors on the planning committee who were courageous enough to stand up to the political pressure from the Mayor’s office and vote for a refusal in 2023. Maximising sale value, which prevents more appropriate alternatives, is never a good reason for the destruction of an historic asset. The Zoo Society have the ability to raise money from their much larger Zoo Project site North of Bristol.
The current proposal for the removal of about 160 trees to make way for 196 luxury apartments, of which 20% are to be labeled ‘affordable’, imposed on such a special historic place could not be further removed from your own party’s planning policy, as is the introduction of an intrusive estate road and parking for over 150 cars. The truth is that this is the legacy of my successor, Mayor Marvin Rees. The proposal to move the Zoo outside the city only became public in December 2020. The Mayor, who had been in discussion with the Zoo Society prior to the announcement, brought his influence to bear on planning officers and Councillors, with what should be an independent quasi-judicial planning process. This led to vital environmental and conservation planning principles to be severely compromised. Is this a legacy you wish to support?
What you dismiss as ‘technical matters’ are highly important environmental issues. The legal challenge is based on the impact on nature, on the amount of CO2 released by demolition and the proposed construction materials, and the loss of green open space. These are fundamental environmental and climate issues which are central to Green Party policy and which I know your colleagues support which is why I am delighted that we now live in a Green-led city, reinforcing our unique UK status as a European Green Capital.
You say that the Zoo might be forced to sell the site without planning – I think an empty threat – but one that could lead to a much more acceptable outcome that builds on the garden’s rich history and bio-diversity. The veiled threat of them coming back with an even higher development that retains less open space simply does not wash but is straight out of the developers’ PR playbook.
The Save Bristol Gardens Alliance’s successful application for a Judicial Review, on all three counts, now presents us with the real possibility of overturning this shameful planning permission and replacing it with environmental solutions that Bristol and the Zoo Society can be proud of. Let’s be on the right side of history, as were Brunel and all the wise people who bequeathed us this wonderful asset. Let’s not spend hard earned local taxpayers’ money funding expensive lawyers to put Bristol on the wrong side!
George Ferguson CBE
Mayor of Bristol 2012-16