(CHARLOTTE HELSTON / iNFOnews.ca)

The Thompson Nicola Regional District has no rules restricting cabin sizes on rural properties, but one elected director is looking to change that.

Barriere mayor Ward Stamer said he wants to preserve public access to lakes across the region with a notice of motion he's proposing to the regional district.

"What I'm seeing is we're losing access for the people that work, play and raise a family in our province. There's less and less opportunity for people to actually get out and enjoy themselves," he said.

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Under current bylaws, he said, a developer could buy a campground with 25 sites and propose a plan to build multiple rental cabins on that site. But when plans change, there is nothing to stop a developer from instead building homes on that property, Stamer said. 

"We are increasingly seeing large cabins resembling residential homes being built in lakeshore resorts throughout the regional district that may not fit into their intended rural recreational setting," his motion reads.

Stamer's proposal could have the regional district limit cabin sizes on new builds in a bid to spare campgrounds and smaller rental cabins from replacement by larger homes.

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Bylaws don't put any size limits for new builds on resort zones, he said. Stamer didn't name any specific builds in the Thompson-Nicola region that he was concerned about, but he did point to other areas like Mara Lake where campsite access has been restricted by new builds.

"And now that's all gone because it's all condos," he said.

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There are still at least two campgrounds along Mara, while the provincial park is only for day-use. Stamer, however, argued that it's an example of a place where campers are steadily getting squeezed out of access to the waterfront.

If approved, his motion would have regional district staff explore what restrictions it could place on cabin sizes and compare to other regional districts.

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