Cardrona Alpine Resort has applied for resource consent for a new chairlift at Willow Basin, to the south of the resort’s base buildings.

The proposed chairlift has 75 chairs and a design capacity of 1,487 people per hour, so it would increase the resort’s lift capacity from 5,500 to 7,000 skiers an hour. 

The 748m long lift would run at a speed of 2.1 metres per second.

The proposed lift is part of the Cardrona ski field operation, but would be located within the Soho Ski Area, which is owned by Cardrona Alpine Resort and Glencoe Station Ltd.

Previous resource consents have been approved which allow for: the construction of a ski lift; clearing of indigenous vegetation within Soho Basin; and earthworks to extend existing tracks, create additional tracks and create a staging area within the Soho and Willow Basins. 

The site is described as characteristically alpine with alpine flora and fauna, steep sided creeks and rocky crags.

Willow Basin is part of the Soho Ski Area. IMAGE: Supplied

The vegetation within the area includes narrow leaved snow tussock grassland, slim snow tussock grassland, trailing neinei shrubland, false Spaniard herbfield, cushionfield, seepage wetlands and boulderfields. New Zealand pipit has been observed in the area and the basin provides a suitable feeding and breeding habitat for the Eastern Falcon. The project area is also considered to include suitable habitat to support populations of Pallid skink and Southern grass skink.

Cardrona’s application states the proposed activity will not result in any significant adverse effects on the environment, and that any effects will be “adequately remedied and mitigated”. The application also includes a condition that the resort will undertake a herpetofauna survey of the area and a survey of nesting birds before any vegetation is removed.

A temporary airport is also sought to allow the use of helicopters in the construction of the chair lift.

The resort states the application does not warrant being publicly notified.

Last year Cardrona’s plans for a new chairlift in the Pringles basin were delayed after the discovery of a skink habitat.

The resort had announced in 2018 that the Pringles basin would be developed in time for winter 2019. The area would offer 55ha of new terrain and relieve pressure on the existing lifts, especially Captain's and Whitestar Express. The Pringles Quad chairlift would be installed in the basin directly below Captain's Express and above Pringles Creek.

The Department of Conservation (DOC) has been working with Cardrona on a management plan for the area. 

Cardrona general manager Bridget Legnavsky was approached for comment.

The Willow Basin application is currently being vetted by the QLDC.