Vail Resorts, operator of the Mount Sunapee Ski Area, is planning a longdebated expansion of the West Bowl of the area with a mile-long chairlift, new lodge, a new beginner area and five new intermediate runs, from low intermediate to advanced.

The Concord Monitor reported that the plan is included in Vail’s five-year plan which is required by the state of New Hampshire, owner of the 986-site.

The master plan says that if all of its recommendations are built, the area’s “comfortable carrying capacity” would expand by about two-fifths, from the current 4,820 skiers to 6,850.

The question of whether Mount Sunapee should expand has long been controversial. Proponents describe it as necessary for the continued operation of the largest ski area in southern New Hampshire, while opponents criticize its environmental and financial implications.