Britain’s Yorkshire Wildlife Park in Doncaster has announced plans for a massive £50m (US$64.6m, €57.5m) expansion, which will bring in new animals and double the attraction’s existing workforce.

The park has secured 150 acres (61 hectares) of new land next to its existing site, which will be used to turn it into one of the UK’s leading leisure destinations. Plans include new reserves and the introduction of new species to continue conservation and welfare work conducted at the park.

The expansion will also feature a new entrance to the zoo, complete with a visitor hub which could include a hotel and support restaurants and leisure shopping. These facilities will be available before visitors enter the park.

“It will be a natural expansion of the wildlife park,” said Neville Williams, Yorkshire Wildlife Park director. “The expansion and proximity of Doncaster airport means the potential is there to take the park from a regional attraction to a national and even international destination.”

While announced, the project is still in the early stages of development, with pre-application discussions with Doncaster Metropolitan Borough Council are currently ongoing. Outline planning permission for development will be submitted in the next few months.

“We are very excited about this next stage of our life and believe it will be a game changer for Yorkshire Wildlife Park, Doncaster and the surrounding area,” said Park CEO John Minion.

“Since opening we have been able to contribute hugely to protecting endangered species such as Amur tigers, leopards and African painted dogs. Our visitors share our passion to cherish wildlife and ensure its survival. This expansion will allow us to take our conservation work to another level. Providing an excellent visitor experience is also key to what we do. "

The park is currently in talks with the local community, business leaders, councillors and politicians about the plans and is inviting feedback during two public consultation events to be held on 16 and 17 June.

The park, which opened in 2009, is one of the UK’s most popular zoos, welcoming a record 761,000 visitors in 2016. It is home to more than 400 animals across 80 species and employs 300 members of staff, this number doubling to 600 on completion of the project.