A group of people living in Lake Country says the district needs to put a higher priority on keeping local beach access public.
After a meeting with Mayor James Baker back in May, the group that's now called The Friends of Carr’s Landing Public Beaches caught wind of plans to sell access at Gable Beach to lakefront property owners.
Group member Cara Reed says diminished public access is becoming a trend.
"In Lake Country, there are 45 km of lakefront, of which only 6 km are public access - that's less than 13%," she said.
"In Carr's Landing the statistics are even lower, there's 11 km of lakefront, and around 1 km of that is in public hands. And (Gable) represents about 25% of that public access."
She says that keeping lakefront access public is also specifically mentioned in Lake Country's Official Community Plan.
"That access is vital, it's the reason we live in Lake Country. It's the reason we're called Lake Country - we have lakes. And they're not just to look at, they're to participate in, they're to canoe, they're to take the kids down in the summer to. They're not a picture that you can get to look at, because you don't have a lakefront house."
Reed says the stretch of beach isn't busy by any means, but that it's a "hidden gem" that stays that way, partly because signage that was knocked out in a car accident over a year ago hasn't been replaced.
"Some of the reasons that have been given for selling the beach is that it is not popular. And it's not as popular - agreed - as Beasley Park or Coral Beach Park. But that's almost a good thing, something doesn't have to be crowded to be of value."
The district has stayed quiet on the issue, and says legal procedure means details can only be released publicly once it comes to council.
In the meantime, Reed is encouraging people to contact mayor and council to voice their concerns.