An alternative form of development for Arthur's Pass village

Abstract

Arthur's Pass village is an alpine settlement situated on terraces of the Bealey River in the upper reaches of the Bealey Valley. A unique village in a unique setting, but Arthur's Pass is becoming increasingly subject to pressures and conflicts. This is principally due to its position within a National Park and the vital importance of the Bealey Valley as the main transport and communication link between the west and East Coasts of the South Island.

Orientated N.N.W. - S.S.E., the Bealey Valley is approximately 300m wide at the village. From the open valley floor, steep Beech clad mountains rise from 737m to between 1,700m and 1,800m with some peaks in excess of 1,800m.

Within the narrow confines of the valley floor a river, railway, road, power transmission lines and the re-creating public, compete for the limited amount of useable land.

The settlement pattern of the village is linear, dictated by the form of the valley and bisected through much of its length by State Highway 73. The useable area of the valley floor is thus effectively split into two halves of limited potential. To the West of the highway, a narrow strip of land finishes abrubtly against the valley wall though at the southern end of the village is a higher terrace also narrow and linear, but divorced from the clutter of the valley floor.

To the East of the highway, baches, railway yards and the Bealey River compete for the ground space while overhead 66,000 volt transmission lines march up the valley towards the Pass, and the spaghetti - like network of overhead electricity supply lines straddles the railway yards before entering the mountains by the Otira Tunnel.

To the architectural discord of the baches, the clutter of the railways, and a busy State Highway, add up to three hundred visitors of diverse attitudes and different demands. This is Arthur's Pass Village.

Conflicts however, do not stop with the competition for useable space and visual dominance sited in and surrounded by the Arthur's Pass National Park, the very compatability of Park and village might be brought into question.

The strategic and commercial importance of the road and rail link can not be questioned. Arthur's Pass is one of only two passes between Westland and Canterbury. The existance of the power transmission lines must also be accepted as alternatives are not feasable. Their visual impact however, could be considerably ameliorated.

What must be questioned however, is the role the village plays in providing accomodation for Park visitors. Overseas trends in park management are towards the phasing out of private ownership within National Parks, and the location of all development outside Park boundaries wherever possible. Indeed it is true that the village is not administratively part of the National Park but its unique location creates a situation in which the Park's future value as a recreation resource is to a degree dependent on the pattern of development that is promoted or condoned within the village.

The intent of this Design study therefore, is to attempt to reconcile the various demands and conflicts within the Arthur's Pass village area in a manner most compatable with the village's position within a National park. This intent is stated more explicitly within the brief which follows.