An environmental lobby group is dismayed the Department of Conservation (Doc) appears to have thrown a possible lifeline to the $170 million Milford Dart Tunnel proposal.
The Otago Daily Times reported yesterday Doc had made an interim decision on the draft Mt Aspiring National Park management plan which may allow a concession application for an access road to the tunnel to be considered.
When approached for comment yesterday Sue Maturin, the Otago-Southland field officer for the Royal Forest and Bird Protection Society of New Zealand, said the department was implying it was fine for a new road and a tunnel to be built in Mt Aspiring National Park.
"It is clear the department must have come under a lot of pressure, as only the Milford Dart Company wanted this provision.
Most of the other submitters strongly opposed the creation of new roads and the tunnel proposal," she said.
But, in a press release yesterday, Otago Conservator Marian van der Goes said the progress report presented to the Otago Conservation Board last week indicated the department's preliminary thinking on some major issues raised in the submissions.
"There are still some unresolved issues to be considered before final decisions on various policies can be made. We're only part-way through the planning process, so the zone boundaries are still under consideration.
"Once the plan is revised, it goes to the board for consideration and approval before going to the New Zealand Conservation Authority for a final approval process, so we've still got a long way to go," she said.
Ms Maturin said Doc should protect the integrity of national parks and not allow incompatible developments such as new roads, mines and tunnels.
"Mt Aspiring is internationally renowned for its wilderness and exceptional scenic values. People come here to experience natural values, not asphalt and bus fumes," she said.
In her statement, Ms van der Goes said any application to build an access road to the proposed Milford Sound tunnel would be considered by Doc through the normal process.
She said the interim decision did not mean Doc had approved the access road proposal.
"We receive applications to carry out all sorts of activities on Doc land, and any application for any new road in Mt Aspiring National Park will be considered in the same way as any other concession application."
Submissions closed in June.
Doc is still considering the 436 received.
