Sydney Zoo granted win for extended opening times
The soon-to-open western Sydney zoo has won a months-long battle to open for longer hours for special animal encounters.
Blacktown
Don't miss out on the headlines from Blacktown. Followed categories will be added to My News.
- First animals arrive at Sydney Zoo ahead of opening
- Eastern Creek’s new ‘eat street’ restaurants unveiled
The soon-to-open Sydney Zoo has won the rights to open longer hours after an almost year-long battle.
Fighting opposition from neighbouring wildlife park Featherdale, the western Sydney zoo will be able to open longer hours to cater for private groups.
The NSW independent Planning Commission on Monday approved a proposal for the zoo to open outside of standard hours for private zoo experiences and small group tours.
Sydney Zoo submitted an application in December last year to modify its hours to allow for private tours from 7.30am until 9am all year round, and from 7am to 11pm for special community events in the summer months.
The approval allows the new zoo to provide limited-access animal encounters, such as breakfast with a rhino, meerkat encounters and Aboriginal cultural experiences for up to 300 guests, seven days a week.
The zoo, which is set to open on Saturday, December 7, will also be able to host up to eight community events between December and January each year.
Despite objections from Featherdale and initial concerns raised by Blacktown Council which were later withdrawn, the commission found the extended hours were in the public interest and were “unlikely” to have any “adverse social or economic impacts”.
“Permitting the extended opening hours will allow Sydney Zoo to cater for a range of community events consistent with those offered by other recreational facilities across the Greater Sydney Region, providing an overall positive social impact and contributing to the social benefits of Sydney Zoo,” approval documents from the commission read.
However, Featherdale claimed the zoo’s request for extended hours was part of a “deliberate strategy” to “unwind” its obligations to provide a different experience to Featherdale.
As part of these obligations, Sydney Zoo must restrict its native animal display and is not permitted to offer koala interactions for the first three years.
In opposing the proposal, Featherdale requested that the commission restrict any members of the public from visiting the park during extended hours until December 2022.
In a meeting with the commission, Featherdale said the extended hours would provide the zoo with a “competitive advantage” and that there was “no demand” from the western Sydney community to access their park before 9am.
“Sydney Zoo’s request to extend its opening hours … is entirely to attract international visitors and associated tour groups,” documents read.
However, Sydney Zoo refuted that the changes would be detrimental and did not undermine its differentiation obligations.
“(The proposal) does not propose any change to the differentiation between Sydney Zoo and Featherdale in that it does not alter the type of exhibits, or the size or nature of the native animal display,” planning documents read.
An economic assessment found the western Sydney market was sufficient to sustain both attractions.
“The commission’s view is that the differentiation conditions ... should largely ameliorate any potential negative broader social or economic impacts,” the commission said.
Blacktown Mayor Tony Bleasdale welcomed the zoo’s upcoming opening.
“Blacktown City Council is looking forward to the arrival of Sydney Zoo as a new attraction for Western Sydney,” Mayor Bleasdale said.
“We are sure it will be popular with our growing population as well as attracting many visitors to the region.”