Chester Zoo announced this week that they are axing the popular monorail after 28 years, but plans are under way to expand the zoo beyond visitors' wildest dreams.

Three decades after the transportation system first opened to allow vantage points to the zoo from different angles, the tourist attraction has developed so much that the monorail doesn't even cover half of it.

So when it is removed at the end of the summer, it will be making room for something that's on a much, much bigger scale.

Over the next three years, the zoo's major new attraction Grasslands will take shape ready for a grand opening to the public in 2022, allowing them to come face to face with creatures in a specially designed indoor habitat.

A zoo spokesperson confirmed to CheshireLive that Grasslands will not feature a monorail; instead it will hold a centrepiece consisting of a large, open African savannah habitat, home to multiple rare species including giraffes and zebras, as well as a restaurant offering spectacular balcony views across the savannah.

Artist impression of Chester Zoo's new Grasslands attraction

It's part of the zoo's aim to connect more people than ever with nature by offering close-up experiences with species like vultures, aardvarks and warthogs.

And visitors will even be able to sleep near the animals, as planning proposals also include the potential for the zoo to develop overnight accommodation in the form of 42 room-lodges including lodges overlooking the savannah so guests can wake up to sunrise views over Grasslands.

The new area would also be bordered by the zoo’s large, existing African Tsavo reserve area for Eastern back rhino and African painted dogs.

A zoo spokesperson said: "The new habitat is the latest stage in the zoo’s strategic development plan: a vision for the future of the zoo, broken into themed geographic regions with ever more natural habitats for threatened species.

"The existing Islands zone, which opened in 2015, was the first stage in this process, bringing the zoo’s global conservation work to life for visitors in Chester.

"The Grasslands development is being designed to help the zoo continue to push the boundaries of world-class animal husbandry and welfare, while also further establishing Chester Zoo’s position as one of the UK’s leading tourist attractions."

