A controversial proposal to build accommodation in the heart of Fiordland National Park is still being assessed by the Department of Conservation.

Last June controversy was quick to hit Path New Zealand founder Abbe Hutchins' application for a 30-year concession to build and operate commercial accommodation in Fiordland National Park's Eglinton Valley near the Milford Road. 

She told Advocate South last year that the $300-a-night accommodation, which would hold around 40 guests, aimed to provide a more elevated approach to the traditional 

hut experience.

DOC southern South Island director Aaron Fleming, who is the decision maker on the application, said DOC still needed to complete its internal assessments, that checklist normally included statutory analysis, technical work like ecological assessment, and working with the applicant for further information. 

DOC southern South Island director Aaron Fleming. PHOTO: Supplied

Mr Fleming said he could not say much on the application itself, only the process, and there was no timeline for when he would make the final call. "It is something we are actively working on and certainly, as a department, we don't rush these things because I think these decisions do require the thorough assessment to be completed beforehand."

More than 150 public submissions were sent in last winter — one factor among many Mr Fleming would have to factor into his decision.

There was no prescribed weight he would have to give those submissions among everything else he'd have to take into account, but he said he'd be taking a holistic approach to the decision. 

DOC recently changed its process for assessing applications like Path New Zealand's, putting public notification at the start of DOC's assessments instead of the end. 

For that reason, Mr Fleming said it might seem like a long time to make a decision, even though it was a standard timeframe. 

"The timeframe is probably actually the same. It's just that the visibility of the project is a wee bit earlier from the public's perspective."