18th August 2025

Twycross Zoo has secured an unprecedented £18 million grant from the UK Government’s Levelling Up Fund—the largest single award ever made to a UK zoo—to develop a cutting-edge Global Conservation Centre. Valued at £25 million in total, the scheme is being delivered in partnership with Hinckley & Bosworth Borough Council and multiple universities, with Baker Mallett acting as Project Manager and Quantity Surveyor to oversee every stage of the project.

The Global Conservation Centre will unite international conservationists, researchers, educators and community groups under one roof. It will house state-of-the-art research laboratory, teaching spaces and communal areas designed to accelerate innovation and applied conservation action. By co-locating experts alongside the species they aim to protect, the centre will pioneer real-world solutions to the twin crises of climate change and biodiversity loss.

Adjacent to the conservation campus, Twycross Zoo will develop a new Indonesian-themed land. This immersive habitat will showcase Bornean orangutans and other threatened Indonesian species as part of the zoo’s expanding ex-situ conservation programmes. Visitors will gain an intimate understanding of Southeast Asia’s endangered ecosystems and the global significance of conservation efforts.

Dr Rebecca Biddle, Chief Conservation Officer at Twycross Zoo and Vice Chair of the European Association of Zoos and Aquaria, said: “The unrelenting pressure from the dual climate and biodiversity loss crises poses a serious threat to our planet. Our conservation efforts need to be bigger, bolder and more united. Zoos are being called on to do more in this mission, and the Global Conservation Centre is our answer to that call. We are truly grateful to Hinckley & Bosworth Borough Council and our local MP, Dr Luke Evans, for their continued backing, supporting us over the last few years to secure this staggering £18 million of Government funding for our charity.”

Baker Mallett Managing Partner, Andrew Harrison, and Project Manager for the scheme commented “Twycross Zoo have been a repeat business Client since 2019 and I think I can speak for our whole team when I say that the charity has really gotten under our skin. We are completely invested in helping them to deliver their mission and goals and to be involved in such a unique and prestigious project is the icing on the cake for us. 

Key Features of the Global Conservation Centre

• 200-seat lecture theatre with panoramic views into the Bornean orangutan habitat

• Three indoor classrooms, each linked to adjacent interactive gardens

• A dedicated science laboratory for cutting-edge conservation research

• 24 ensuite bedrooms to accommodate visiting experts, postgraduate students, and interns

• Formalised academic partnerships with UK universities to deliver expanded higher education programmes

Project Timeline

• Groundworks and enabling works commence late June 2025

• Main construction phase throughout 2025 – 2026

• Centre opening late 2026 / early 2027