Possible ‘park and ride’ site
THE Department of Conservation is considering clearing the old visitor centre site at Franz Josef Glacier, as part of a ‘‘park and ride’’ system to get people to and from the glacier.
Doc moved out in December 2015 for a new building in Cron St after it emerged the old site was located right on the Alpine Fault.
South Westland operations manager Wayne Costello said Doc had commissioned two engineering assessments of the old building from two independent engineers after the Christchurch earthquakes.
‘‘Both determined that the building had serious issues and was earthquakeprone.’’
When Doc decided to move to Cron St, there was a general acceptance that the Franz Josef township needed to move away from the fault zone, Mr Costello said.
He said a number of parties may have an interest in the site and potentially also the building.
‘‘However, after the release of the Tonkin and Taylor report into the future of Franz township came out in 2017, we considered it prudent to suspend a project assessing this external interest in the site and building, while the community considered the options presented in the report. This is ongoing.’’
Doc was investigating options to deal with increasing numbers of visitors to the Franz Josef Valley, and a ‘‘park and ride’’ was one of the options being considered.
Mr Costello said the old visitor centre site and car parking area would definitely be part of this solution, if it was chosen.
The building was not suitable for staff accommodation.