DEVELOPERS behind plans for the country’s first National Wildlife Conservation Park (NWCP) have applied for permission to move a public right of way.

Last year Bristol Zoo submitted a detail planning application for the NWCP, which is planned to be built at the Hollywood Tower Estate at Compton Greenfield, near Almondsbury.

The plans included a number of ecosystems including Congo and Sumatra rainforest, Georgia wetlands, Tanzania savannah, Nepal grasslands, China montane forest, Costa Rica swamp and Indian Ocean coral reef.

As well as housing animals such as plans Bears, Giraffes, Zebras, Rhinos and Wolves, the park will also have an animal hospital, restaurant, Conservation Breeding Centre, ranger stations, elevated and covered walkways and bridges.

However, Terence O’Rourke Ltd, agents acting on behalf of the zoo have applied for additional permission to re-route a popular right of way on the Hollywood Estate.

The developers want to remove 128 metres of the existing public right of way OAY79, which currently falls in the proposed NWCP, and create a new 143-metre stretch outside of the boundary.

In their application Terence O’Rourke Ltd said: "In preparing the proposals for the footpath diversion, care has been taken to retain public access to an important viewpoint offering views across the Severn estuary. The submitted scheme retains a very similar vantage point offering long distance views of the estuary to the north and the northwest."

Terence O’Rourke Ltd also said that the large detailed planning application for the park would not be decided on until this additional application has been dealt with by the local planning authority.

It is expected that the first phases of the £70 million park will be open in 2012.

Anyone wishing to comment on the re-route of the footpath has until Friday, December 4 and can do so by visiting www.southglos.gov.uk