£1m lottery bid launched to restore Dudley Zoo

A £1 million lottery bid to fund vital repairs to a dozen historic buildings within the grounds of Dudley Zoo has been launched.

Under the plans work would be carried out to the 12 Tecton buildings, which have been listed as worthy of international acclaim.

The repair work would pave the way for future development at the site, which would include creating a medieval farmyard.

Zoo board chairman Councillor David Sparks said work needed to be carried out on the foundations of the buildings. The zoo still hopes to attract further funding to help fully restore the structures.

The 12 Tecton buildings include the zoo's iconic wave entrance, elephant house, sea lion pool and bear pit as well as the birdhouse, Moat Cafe, polar bear complex and two kiosks.

The structures, built by Russian-born architect Berthold Lubekin in the 1930s, were placed on the World Monuments Fund at-risk buildings list in 2009 alongside renowned sites like Machu Picchu in Peru.