Blackpool Zoo has submitted a planning application to erect a new “Safari Events Tent” at its East Park Drive attraction, as the popular North West zoo continues an ambitious investment drive following a record-breaking year for visitor numbers.
The application, submitted to Blackpool Council on February 25 2026 and validated on March 13 2026, seeks full planning permission for the erection of a tent structure, including a platform base, to be used as a visitor events space within the existing zoo grounds.
What Is Being Proposed?
An example of what the proposed tent might look like according to plans (Image: Blackpool Council)
Blackpool Zoo’s proposed structure would be positioned in a central location within the zoo, situated between the main café and the birds’ Display Arena.
It is designed to provide a flexible space for zoo functions and events, as well as for corporate groups for meetings and as a base for team building days.
The tent would be constructed using timber posts and a frame built off a platform base, with no permanent or excavated foundations, meaning it is described as “easily demountable”.
Walls and the roof would be clad in treated canvas, sand-coloured for the walls and green for the roof, with each bay featuring roll-up panels and large clear plastic windows. Wooden doors would provide day-to-day access.
According to the plan, the building footprint measures approximately 5.4 metres by 19.0 metres, with a height of approximately 2.6 metres to the eaves and 3.8 metres to the ridge.
Design and Access Statement submitted by Design Group Chester notes the scale is “in keeping with the adjacent buildings and structures” on the site.
The Site
The total site area is 102 square metres (Image: Blackpool Council)
The chosen site is an area of open ground currently used as a public performance and meeting place within the zoo.
Its Design and Access Statement describes the selected location as “currently heavily trafficked, predominantly hardstand and of no minimal ecological value” and notes it “is not visible outside of the zoo curtilage”.
The application notes the total site area is 102 square metres. Because the development does not impact a priority habitat and affects less than 25 square metres of non-priority onsite habitat, Blackpool Zoo has claimed an exemption from biodiversity net gain requirements under the de minimis threshold.
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Part of a Wider Investment Push
The planning application comes as Blackpool Zoo rides the wave of its most successful period in its 53-year history. In 2025, the zoo surpassed its previous record year, set in 2019, by six per cent in visitor numbers.
Zoo Director Darren Webster, who is named as the applicant on the planning form, has spoken of continued investment in animal welfare, zoo infrastructure and the visitor experience despite rising operational costs.
The Safari Events Tent proposal sits alongside a separate, already-underway £500,000 redevelopment of the outdoor giraffe habitat, officially named the Kidepo Trail.
That project, inspired by the Kidepo Valley in Uganda, will triple the size of the external habitat for giraffes O’Grady and Olympia and is expected to open in spring 2026.
The application was drawn up by agent Paul Kidley of Design Group Chester, based at Sedan House, Stanley Place, Chester.
Pre-application advice was sought from Blackpool Council in late January 2026, when discussions took place about whether the development would be considered permitted development or whether a full planning application would be required, with a full application ultimately proceeding.
