Progress of the Thredbo Lodge Redevelopment Plans
As many members would know, the RAN Ski Club lodged a redevelopment application for the for Thredbo lodge some time back – January 2023. This is part of the Club’s ongoing mission to provide “an attractive, affordable and friendly environment, [the Club] will serve the alpine leisure needs of its members and their guests.” To achieve this mission, the club looks to upgrade each lodge every 30 years (i.e. one lodge every decade). It’s now Thredbo’s ‘turn’.
Since submitting the re-development application (DA) to the NSW Department of Planning & Environment (DPE) we have encountered a number of issues which have taken some time to resolve, slowing the progress of the application. Each issue has been addressed in a highly professional and remarkably patient manner by Phil Gregory and the redevelopment committee. The Club’s Board expresses its profound thanks to Phil and his team for their work on this project. The main issues addressed have been:
1. The DPE requested more detailed information on a number if elements in the development proposal – most of these would normally be addressed later in the process (i.e. Construction Certificate) but the DPE is very sensitive about developments in Thredbo. So, it has been work that we would have had to do anyway, just earlier in the process. These clarifications included:
a. Geotechnical: the retaining on the western boundary adjacent the House of Ullr required a very detailed engineering solution that has only recently been resolved to a level that will satisfy both the DPE and the House of Ullr.
b. Building Code of Australia (BCA) accessibility: significant redesign was required due to changing BCA accessibility requirements that were not in force when the DA was developed.
c. Statement of Environmental Effects (SEE): the original SEE was prepared in June 2021 and needed updating to reflect compliance with later legislation such as the Snowy Mountains Special Activation Precinct provisions for Thredbo, adopted in December 2022.
2. During the process of updating the DA, our original architect retired which forced the procurement the services of an alternate architect. Sourcing architects that understand the complex requirements of building in alpine areas was not easy, however Phil has managed to find a firm in Canberra that has made a tremendous impact since commencing and has revitalised our DA process.
It is worthwhile to mention that the Club started the Thredbo lodge redevelopment project in 2017. There were a number of potential scenarios to work through regarding benefits and costs before deciding on the initial design. We then engaged Goaland Constructions as our project manager (the Perisher lodge builder), Maco Project Designs (MPD) as the architect and Grounded Engineering for structural design work. Since that time, we’ve had to contend with the nature of a difficult site, changing government legislation, guidelines and regulations, COVID and requiring to change both the project manager (to Grounded) and the architect (to SQC Group). However, we are now very close to achieving our goal of having a solid lodge reconstruction plan approved and ready to implement when the Club is ready to proceed.
In summary, the redevelopment calls for the demolition and rebuild of the accommodation wing of the lodge and a considerable refurbishment of the existing communal areas. The board will release the detailed plans once they are finalised for submission and these will be available for members perusal displayed in the Thredbo lodge prior to the AGM this year. However, in the interim, this is an image of how the external will look…
More detailed plans to follow in the next couple of months. If you have any questions, please email Greg Thompson, VP Thredbo at vpthredbo@ranskiclub.com.au
Once again, a huge thank you to Phil Gregory for his dedication to seeing the DA through to this point.