Secret beaches of Malibu (and the woman who will show you how to reach them): War erupts over app that directs users past obstructive wealthy home owners and onto pristine sands

Jenny Price believes everyone should have access to the public beaches in Malibu

Traditionally it has been hard for people to access the beaches because access is blocked by homes of the rich and famous

She has created an app which tells ordinary people which bogus 'No Trespassing' to ignore

Beachfront homeowners in the exclusive L.A. neighborhood of Malibu are up in arms about a new smartphone app which provides anyone using it with evaluable information about how to get to the area’s hard to reach public beaches.



Environmental writer Jenny Price passionately believes that everyone deserves access to the area's public beaches but with 20 of Malibu's 27 miles of coastline lined with private developments trying to access the beaches has long been a complicated business.



Homeowners in Malibu - include some of the wealthiest and most famous people in the country – have long used a variety of means to keep the beaches to themselves including padlocks, gates, menacing signs, security guards and lawsuits.

Environmental writer Jenny Price passionately believes that everyone deserves access to Malibu's public beaches

Gaining access to Malibu's public beaches has long been a complicated business as much of the coastline is lined with private developments

Price decided to get together with tech developers EscapeApps to create an app for smartphones which provides users with all the necessary tips and information on how to reach the hard to find beauty spots.



The ‘Our Malibu Beaches’ app claims to give users ‘pinpointed directions and expert tips so you can enjoy the 20 miles of gorgeous beaches in Malibu that are lined with private development’.

It includes info on how to find the elusive access-ways, where you're free to walk and put your towel and which fake 'No Trespassing' and 'No Parking' signs you can legally ignore.



The release of the app has set off waves of anxiety among local homeowners, fearful that this summer they will be descended upon by hordes of people.

Using the funding website Kickerstarter, Price raised over $30,000 needed to build the app

An iPhone version is currently available for free, while an Android version is expected in the fall

Locals complain that the remote and often small beaches simply don’t have enough amenities - such as bathrooms and parking - to accommodate large influxes of sun-seekers.



‘People come through, they urinate, defecate, they leave their garbage - there are no garbage pails. They can’t park; there is no parking, so they block driveways,' one local told the New York Times .



But local homeowners have also been known to use underhand means to keep people out.



Parking is a serious problem and homeowners are known to drop orange cones on the street or build fake garage doors to block off legal parking spots.



The app includes info on how to find the elusive access-ways, where you're free to walk and put your towel and which fake 'No Trespassing' and 'No Parking' signs you can legally ignore

Some owners plant hedges to obscure beach access gates, while other gates are often weighted down with numerous signs, some legitimate, some that can be bought at Home Depot for $10, said Price.



Using the funding website Kickerstarter, Price raised over $30,000 needed to build the app. An iPhone version is currently available for free, while an Android version is expected in the fall costing $1.99.



Malibu is home to stars including Pierce Brosnan and major Hollywood producers including David Geffen, Michael D. Eisner and Jeffrey Katzenberg, but Price claims she isn’t interested in class warfare.



'It’s not about who lives down here. It’s not a take-down-the-billionaires project. This is not a political statement,' she told The New York Times. Instead she believes public spaces should be open to all.

Video: Jenny Price explains how her app works

