Efforts by Bristol Zoo Gardens to create a second major zoological park are to be spearheaded by Samantha Mant in the newly created role of head of development.

The project, which is slated to open in 2008, is proposed for the 136-acre Hollywood Towers farm site at Almondsbury, near Bristol, in the UK. The project name will be announced later this month.

Mant, who previously worked on the award-winning Wetland Centre in Barnes, London, is hugely enthusiastic about the Bristol development. She will be responsible for raising the funds needed to complete the park, which will cost over £20m. "We’re at the point where we are seeking major funding so that we can move through the planning process," she says.

"The thinking and background surveys have been done to gauge viability, and we have a robust business plan and a reasonable cost plan. We have a sense of what exhibits will be there, but we’re still allowing ourselves the freedom to change things."

Mant believes this project, which is being led by director Jo Gibbs, will result in a new kind of zoo.

The attraction will be based around habitats and will feature a mix of species, while still maintaining its central focus on animals.