A proposed privately operated zoo in Western Sydney has been referred to the NSW Planning and Assessment Commission for a final decision.

The 16.5-hectare zoo, to be located within the Western Sydney Parklands at Bungarribee, 33 kilometres west of Sydney’s CBD, is masterplanned by Aspect Studios.

The zoo will have more than 30 exhibits, showcasing popular zoo attractions from various regions of the globe as well as native Australian wildlife. It will feature elevated boardwalks over African grasslands that will be home to lions, cheetahs, zebras, elephants, giraffes and rhinos; an underwater glass-view facility for hippos, crocodiles and aquatic life; and a native-fish aquarium with freshwater bull sharks.

Aspect Studios’ masterplan strategy is to relate the zoo to the broader park context, which has a strong Australian character. The zoo’s tropical exhibits will be located in the centre, while exhibits from drier climatic regions will be located towards the edges.

A series of new buildings designed by Misho and Associates has been proposed for the zoo. These include an entrance pavilion, a restaurant inspired by traditional African livestock enclosures known as “bomas,” and three pre-cast concrete tunnel structures that will contain habitat enclosures for nocturnal animals, aquatic animals and reptiles and insects.

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The NSW Department of Planning and Environment has made its assessment of the proposed zoo and has recommended that the Planning and Assessment Commission “approve the development application” subject to a number of strict conditions relating to the ecological impacts of the proposal.

The department’s report stated that 56 submissions were received, following the exhibition of the proposal in December 2015. Among them were 35 objections. “Key concerns raised by the public related to the potential introduction of weeds, impacts to endangered ecological communities, animal welfare and the privatization of public space,” the report reads.

The department also noted that proponents of the zoo have revised parts of the design to address the issues raised but also made a number of recommendations to minimize the ecological impacts. The include purchasing biodiversity credits, establishing a plan to conserve and manage the vegetation that will be retained and installing an intensive water-quality monitoring program.

In 2014, the Western Sydney Parklands Trust invited proposals for a tourism facility within the Bungarribee precinct. Sydney Zoo was the successful tenderer and in 2015, the NSW government approved the lease for the new zoo.

The NSW Planning and Assessment Commission is yet to make a decision on the proposal.