Plans have been lodged by the operators of South Lakes Safari Zoo to create a wild animal reserve at its Tebay site with exotic non-native species.
New Roots Holding Company Ltd has submitted a planning application to the Yorkshire Dales National Park Authority to create the visitor attraction and wild animal reserve at Brockholes Farm.
The application for the Tebay site said: “The applicant intends to cease operations at the safari zoo in Dalton and develop a more integrated and smaller scale visitor attraction at Brockholes Farm to align with their priorities, values and vision.
“Built development has been kept to a minimum with a landscape led approach to design. The space on offer at the site means the animals will have greater access to enjoy their surroundings which is part of the applicant’s focus on animal welfare.”
According to planning documents, the proposed attraction would consist of animal enclosures as well as an expansion of the existing holiday accommodation with the addition of three shepherds’ huts and two safari lodges.
It is also proposed that one of the existing holiday cottages would also be converted to a café and a welcome centre would be constructed on the site.
Plans state it is the applicant’s intention to house animals including white rhinos, honey badgers, zebras, red panda, sloth, giraffe and lynx.
There would also be farm animals on site including sheep, goats, donkeys and reindeer.
The planning statement says: “The proposal encapsulates the applicant’s vision to create a unique and intimate wild animal experience in the Yorkshire Dales National Park, which would expand and diversify the existing holiday let business at Brockholes Farm, which the applicant has been successfully operating since 2022.
“‘Into the Wilds’ visitor attraction would be established as a pre-bookable, wild animal reserve with restricted access providing a unique and educational experience for guests, conveying the importance of conservation and providing visitors with an understanding of the current threats to a selection of wild species found at the site.”
The maximum number of spaces available to stay in the onsite accommodation at any one time will be 38 guests over nine separate accommodation units.
This would allow for a maximum number of day visitors of 41 guests; however plans state the booking system would operate by having available spaces to book onto an encounter which could all be filled by holiday accommodation guests, so the actual number of day visitors is expected to be less than this number.
The application said: “The visitor attraction would not operate as a zoo and access would be strictly limited through the pre-booking system and guests staying in the holiday accommodation.”
