Concerns over inconsistent approach to wilderness development

A company behind a proposal for a hut at a wilderness lake near Cradle Mountain says it will push on with the project despite negative feedback from the Parks Service.

THE company behind a proposal for a hut at a wilderness lake near Cradle Mountain says it will press ahead with the project despite negative feedback from the Parks Service.

The Tasmanian Walking Company first proposed the hut at Lake Rodway in 2014 as part of plans for a guided walk in the area.

Documents released after a right-to-information request reveal Parks is concerned that the size of proposal is inappropriate and twice the size of any other structure on the Overland Track.

“The original proposal submitted to the (expression of interest) panel did not indicate that accommodation of this scale was contemplated,” Parks said in its response to the draft environmental impact statement.

“Potential impacts on wilderness values including the loss in primitiveness and the ‘undeveloped’ quality of Lake Rodway are unacceptable impacts.”

A Tasmanian Walking Company spokeswoman said it was committed to advancing the project, which had been scaled back and relocated to reduce its impact.

“We don’t agree with all of the points expressed by Parks in their May 2021 response and requests to obtain more substantive details have been unsuccessful to date despite numerous requests,” she said.

“For example our position on extraction of water from Lake Rodway was reached following discussions with Parks staff, the receipt of advice from relevant experts and was the subject of numerous consultation sessions with community groups, yet we are not aware of what if any experts (Parks and Wildlife Service) have relied on in making their comments.

“TWC will resubmit the impact statement once further clarity on the process has been determined.”

The Tasmanian Wilderness Guides Association says the inconsistent response to development proposals in national parks is undermining confidence in government,

The Parks service was taking the approach to the Lake Rodway proposal it should have also taken with a proposal for hut-based accommodation at Lake Malbena, in the Walls of Jerusalem, it said.

“We note that PWS deemed potential impacts of this proposal on wilderness values, including the ‘undeveloped’ quality of Lake Rodway, as well as the social impact on other users of the national park as “unacceptable”, TWGA vice president Jill Lyall said.

“This is the level of scrutiny we expect all private tourism developments in our national parks to come under.

“We wish that PWS had cast the same critical eye over Wild Drake’s proposal for Lake Malbena when it came to things like the loss of wilderness values, the impact of helicopters, what sort of visitor accommodation is allowable, and what constitutes stakeholder engagement.

“This inconsistency damages public trust in government processes and leaves the nature tourism industry unsure of government standards.”

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Originally published as Concerns over inconsistent approach to wilderness development