A private company is seeking exclusive rights to part of a treasured coastal park near Victoria, sparking concerns about the B.C. government’s priorities for public wilderness areas.

One With Nature Corp. aims to use 72 hectares of East Sooke Regional Park, an area rich in wildlife, for an outdoor education and wilderness survival skills school.

Five hectares near a popular hiking trail would be used for overnight accommodation and would be off limits to the public if the company’s plan is approved. The total area of the park is just under 1,500 hectares, about the size of four Stanley Parks.

The school would include a bow and arrow shooting range, an outbuilding to process animals, a learning centre, a camping area, seven bathrooms, a boat dock and five cabins built with trees the company would cut down in its exclusive use area, according to One With Nature’s application to the B.C. government.

While the Capital Regional District owns most of East Sooke park, the parcel where Svetlichnyy aims to set up his school is owned by the province and open for approved commercial use.