Skiers and snow hunters trekking to Ben Lomond this winter will have to contend with a shipping container as a public shelter for the third snow season in a row after plans for a new shelter are delayed.
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After the Ben Lomond Alpine Hotel burned down in 2018, Parks and Wildlife installed a shipping container as a temporary public shelter from the elements in 2019.
A new public shelter was commissioned by the department and was expected to be complete by May this year.
However, a PWS spokeswoman confirmed construction on the shelter was now planned to be complete by March 2022, which will leave snow hunters and skiers out in the cold.
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"The public shelter is presently out for tender for quotations from suitable building companies," the spokeswoman said.
The spokeswoman said the deadline was extended because of "[the] advice that winter is unsuitable for building."
However, a previous deadline showed the public shelter was due to be built over the 2020-2021 summer period.
"The extensive public consultation process held over the summer has led to significant public feedback now incorporated into the final design," the spokeswoman said.
RELATED STORY: Mountain of opportunity: calls for investment on Ben Lomond
Stakeholders and business operators on the mountain have previously criticised PWS and the government for its lack of strategic direction and plans for Ben Lomond.
With many of the small business operators at the ski village looking to retire or hand the businesses off to the next generation, they say the time is right for some leadership from the government to take more decisive action when it comes to the mountain's investment.
Ben Lomond is Tasmania's only publicly accessible skifield and is located only an hour from Launceston, making it a popular attraction for Tasmanians and interstate tourists.
A handbrake on the mountain's development is water storage capability, which often means there isn't enough water for snowmaking, a common practice used on other ski fields.
Due to its seasonal snowfall, Ben Lomond suffers from irregular snow cover, and snowmaking would alleviate that issue.
The PWS spokeswoman said it had approved the Ben Lomond Committee to clean up the mountain's dam and replace the dam liner. However, the works will not increase the dam's storage.
"The Ben Lomond Committee are undertaking the works on the dam. They have advised PWS the works will take about two weeks."
Plans for a second multipurpose building, which PWS advised The Examiner of in September, have also stalled.
"PWS has funding allocated to replace the shelter only at this stage. The Ben Lomond community and stakeholders have expressed interested in a multipurpose building on the mountain," the spokeswoman said.
The second building is subject to commercial interest and investment. But PWS will share initial plans with the stakeholders in May.
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