African wildlife park bid
ZEBRA and antelope could be roaming the plains of Doncaster by next summer - under plans for an African wildlife park.
The new owners of a farm and equestrian centre at Branton are planning to open the first facility of its kind in Yorkshire some time in 2009.
Don Valley MP Caroline Flint has already met the proprietors to talk about their plans to create a major tourist destination, which they hope will attract thousands of people to Doncaster every year.
Brockholes Farm, off Brockholes Lane, was bought earlier this year by Cheryl and Neville Williams and their business partner, John Minion, with a view to expanding the present visitor centre and riding stables.
Cheryl and John have many years' experience of working at the famous Woburn Safari Park in Bedfordshire but stress Brockholes will become something different.
In line with current environmental concerns it will not be a 'drive through' experience and it will not be a zoo with animals in small enclosures.
Currently at the planning stage, Cheryl and her partners envisage it will provide an opportunity for visitors to see animals of the high plains and savannah, such as zebra and hardier forms of antelope which will survive northern climes.
They are also investigating the possibility of bringing chimpanzees and monkeys to the attraction.
"What we want to do is to create a natural environment for the animals where they can have lots of space to roam and live in natural groupings so the visitor can get a genuine wildlife experience," said Cheryl.
"We don't want it to be a place where there are single animals in small enclosures.
"The advantage we have over Woburn is that Brockholes has very good public transport links so not all the visitors will have to come by car.
"There is still a huge amount of planning to do before we are ready to launch the project and it was very good of Ms Flint to visit and see for herself what we envisage.
"We both believe tourism is very important to Doncaster."
Brockholes is already linked with Doncaster College and the new owners hope to train more people to become involved with the wildlife park.
Ms Flint said: "This would provide a huge boost to the local economy and tourism and provide an excellent facility for conservation, education and excellent days out for families to enjoy the natural environment."
The owners stress Brockholes Farm is still open for visitors as normal and will remain so while the transformation plans continue.
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