Four tigers are to come to Chessington World of Adventures, after Kingston Council approved the planning application for a new enclosure.

The beastly additions will arrive after their three new, interconnected enclosures are built, and the Peeking Heights Ferris wheel, Adventure Zone, and Coca Cola Pagoda food and drink unit have been removed.

Overhead mesh tube ‘Tiger Tunnels’ will pass over the visitor areas connecting the enclosures, giving the animals a bigger and more varied environment.

Associate director at Chessington Ian York said in the application’s cover letter: “These have been designed to create an innovative exhibit that includes tiger portals linking the outside areas of the enclosures, creating a number of benefits for the tigers, including novel vantage points, multiple opportunities for long-distance travel and a greater variety of environments.

“It will also create a more interactive experience between the animals and visitors unlike anything else currently available at the resort.”

Jo Cook, who coordinates the Zoological Society of London’s European Endangered Species Programme for Amur tigers, had met with Chessington staff and wrote a letter in support of the application.

It read: “It is nice to see innovation in a new exhibit and the tunnels linking the outside areas will be a striking feature and I am sure will have great impact on your visitors, as well as providing novel vantage points for the tigers themselves.”

The resort currently has two Sumatran tigers, who will be introduced to the four Amur tiger arrivals in the new enclosure.