A RARE opportunity has arisen to acquire the freehold of South Lakes Zoo.

The land which houses South Lakes Safari Zoo in Dalton is officially on the market, but the day-to-day running of the zoo will remain unchanged.

The site, which extends to approximately 15.41 hectares (38.07 acres) is currently subject to two concurrent short term leases with six years remaining and achieving a total annual rent of £500,000.

The day-to-day operation of the zoo, which is run by Cumbria Zoo Company Limited, remains unaffected by the sale.

The zoo consists of 29 principal buildings with overall floor area of approximately 138,643sq ft. (12,882 sq m) and provides over 60 indoor and outdoor attractions with more than 45 different themed features.

There are also outdoor adventure play areas, two main indoor restaurant buildings and an extensive retail area in the main reception building and parking for over 700 vehicles on site.

Over £4 million has been invested in the zoo in the past decade which saw substantial expansion via the purchase of an additional area of land to the east of the original site.

Ian Simpson, director in the leisure and trade team at Savills, which has been appointed to market the freehold of the zoo, said: “This is an incredibly rare opportunity to acquire a zoo that has been operating for over two decades and with recorded attendance reaching 366,000 in 2015.

"The new owner will benefit from two occupational leases which will generate income of £500,000 per annum until they expire in February 2026, whereupon further leases might be granted or operation of the zoo by the freehold owner could be considered.”