Plans to build a new £750,000 chimpanzee enclosure at Dudley Zoo within the next year have been unveiled – the first of many new schemes in the pipeline.

Bosses from the attraction revealed the plans which form part of a long-term project to free up land at the site for redevelopment.

One of the zoo’s landmark concrete buildings, built by the Tecton group, previously used to house lions, polar bears and tigers, will be converted into the enclosure.

Plans for the new enclosure have been submitted to Dudley Council and are set to be be considered during the next few months.

The zoo still has 11 of the original 13 concrete tectons, built in the 1930s, designed for the zoo’s original buildings by Berthold Lubetkin, who also designed two of London Zoo’s attractions.

Chief executive Peter Suddock said it was an exciting time for the Castle Hill attraction. “It will be a great enclosure for the chimps.

“We are going to get people closer to the animals. We think it is going to work extremely well and it shows we are committed to our animals,” he added.

“This all forms part of our long-term plan to free up land at the zoo for a future development. The chimps are moving to a new area so land can be made available for new development.”