A Carcross, Yukon, residents' group is urging against a new 55-lot housing development there.

The Yukon Environmental and Socio-Economic Assessment Board recommended this week the new subdivision go ahead, but the chair of the South Klondike Local Advisory Council, Dan Kemble, says the council opposes the development, which would be built on the dunes looking out over Bennett Lake.

Kemble says it's a fragile ecosystem and an important green space.

Dan Kemble, chair of the South Klondike Local Advisory Council, says the Carcross dunes are an important green space easily accessible to all. (CBC)

“Well, that's true that we're surrounded by wilderness and it's not too hard to get out of town and find a secluded place,” says Kemble.

“But the dunes area is right adjacent to the downtown core, so people can walk to it you know, it's accessible.”

The local advisory council submitted a petition of more than 200 names during the environmental assessment. Other groups also spoke against the housing plan saying the Carcross dunes should be protected.

The developer — the Carcross Tagish Management Corporation — says the plan is to minimize any impact on the environment.