Even as Kootenay Lake’s shoreline continues to be “degraded” a new strategic plan is being developed to slow and eventually halt illegal development on main body of water in the area.

A five-year strategic plan is being proposed for development by the Kootenay Lake Partnership (KLP) — with a proposal for support from the City of Nelson for $2,000 for development — to join with the Regional District of Central Kootenay to draft a plan.

A shoreline inventory was conducted in 2011 and, 10 years later, it was conducted again, uncovering a total of 4.5 kilometres of shoreline having been degraded in that time, said KLP co-ordinator Claire Peyton.

“So, even with the shoreline guidance document in place, we are still experiencing rapid shoreline loss, so that is why we have been working hard to … set in place this regional environmental development permit area,” she said.

The permit area would be 30 metres wide and run around the entire length of the lake.

“(We) wouldn’t be able to say no to development, but we would have a little more control on what happens where,” she said.