Visitors to Chester Zoo may soon be able to stay overnight, with giraffes roaming right past the windows.
The zoo has submitted plans for lodge accommodation and a large restaurant with views across the plains, as part of its Grasslands proposal, due to open to the public in 2022.
The plans will see 42 safari-style lodges, complete with over-water balconies, surrounding a large lake with a bridge crossing over to an island in the centre of the water. There will also be larger lodges with wrap-around viewing decks that will face onto a giraffe enclosure with giraffe-feeding platforms.
The centrepiece of the Grasslands area will be an open African Savannah habitat, home to animals such as the giraffes, zebras, ostrich and antelope.
It will be the largest stage in the zoo’s development plan, which hopes to introduce more natural habitats to help with the conservation of threatened species.
The plan will also include a new 182-cover restaurant, with a further 68 covers on an external viewing platform.
Huge windows will look out across the habitats around the restaurant, which will include the African Village, small mammals, painted dogs, the vulture aviary, and the Savannah Habitat.
Also published on Medium.