WASHFORD'S Tropiquaria Wildlife Park was given the thumbs up by West Somerset District Council last Thursday to erect two life size pirate ships for youngsters to use as play equipment.
But the planning committee vetoed the idea of a timber fort to be built on the site alongside the ships because of the visual impact on the former transmitting station, which is a listed building.
Work on prefabricating the ships at Dunster sawmill can now begin with the middle of June as the scheduled deadline.
The maximum height of the ships' hulls will be around 3.5m and the masts will be approximately 14m high.
Both boats for the £200,000 Pirate Island project are being designed by John Hesp, from Allerford, and will sit on an ocean of sand.
Tropiquaria director Steve Smith said the large mature trees around the perimeter would screen the boats from the road.
He said: "As the building is elevated above the lawn, it would not detract from the listed building that we, at least, find attractive.
"Built to the latest safety standards, this would be one of the most exciting play structures in the country and, if well advertised, should bring thousands more visitors to the area.
"With the proposed Watchet Marina development, this seems the perfect time to build what could be described as the gateway to Watchet."
Mr Smith said that, although Tropiquaria had survived the early 1990's recession, visitor numbers were lower than expected and the accounts were barely profitable.
"An added attraction such as the one planned should have a dramatic effect on visitor numbers and make Tropiquaria's future secure," he said.
Planning officer Steve Kirby said the play equipment would have a visual impact on the setting of the listed building and area generally and would probably not be screened from the A39 or higher ground to the south.