Routeburn Walk Ltd has applied to the Queenstown Lakes District Council for permission to extend part of the Falls Hut Lodge by just under 50 square metres, to create four more single bedrooms, convert a storeroom into another single room and remove an existing single room to enable a bathroom extension.
At present, there are two showers and one toilet in the building — if approved, the modifications would enable three toilets and three showers instead.
In its resource consent application, prepared by Southern Planning Group, Routeburn Walk Ltd said the extension was to cater to staff who had to "hot-bed" — a practice where multiple people share beds, or bedrooms, in shifts — at the lodge.
The lodge had capacity for 40 guests and nine staff, but no overall occupancy increase was proposed, the company said.
Routeburn Walk Ltd is also seeking approval from the Department of Conservation for a concession to enable the extension. In its application to council, the company said the overall scale of the building footprint increase was very minor and the isolated nature of the area ensured there were no adverse cumulative landscape effects.
Overall, it was considered the building extension would have a less than minor effect on the wider environment.
