Coastal land development
Defining the coastal environment
Some of the different methods that have been used to define the inland boundary of coastal environment include:
- using the crest of the nearest skyline (the closest dominant ridgeline) as the landward boundary (see Wilkinson v Hurunui DC [2000] C050/00 )).
This is a useful definition for districts or regions with a prominent ridgeline that can be easily distinguished as forming a boundary between land that is coastal is nature and land that does not have coastal characteristics
- using a comprehensive set of criteria and reference to individual features to define the limit of the coastal environment such as property boundaries
- cliff lines, and road/rail lines, as well as coastal fauna, coastal wetlands and estuaries (see clause 1.1.3.2 of the proposed Hawke 's Bay Regional Coastal Environment Plan)
This method provides certainty over whether a site is located within the coastal environment or not. However, it can require extensive research and fieldwork to identify these features and determine the exact location of the inland boundary. Hastings District Council has subsequently notified proposed plan change 38 to amend its definition of the coastal environment to be consistent with the Regional Council's definition
- providing guidelines and criteria on the areas and features that contribute to the coastal environment.
This approach has been used by the Auckland Regional Council in policy 7.4.1 of the Regional Policy Statement and clause 1.2.2 of the Regional Plan: Coastal and assists councils within the region to determine what comprises the coastal environment. This method can include describing ecological or environmental characteristics that contribute to a coastal environment. A similar approach is also proposed in policy 5 of the draft Regional Policy Statement for the Wellington Region. The disadvantage of this approach is that determination of whether a site is within a coastal environment will need to be assessed on a case by case basis
- using an arbitrary distance inland.
This method is used to define the Coastal Environment Policy Area in Section 6 of the Hauraki District Plan and provides certainty to plan users of what area is located within the coastal environment. The disadvantage of this approach is that it may result in areas that are coastal in nature being excluded from the zone if they are further than the prescribed distance inland. To address this, the Hauraki District Plan recognises special features that warrant a wider distance within the definition.
This approach has also been used in Te Tangi a Tauira, the Ngai Tahu ki Murihiku Natural Resource and Environmental Management Plan 2008 which defines the inland boundary of the coastal environment as all landward features that are within 1 km of the mean high water springs. This plan addresses the risk of excluding areas that are coastal in nature through an arbitrary distance by recognising that coastal processes can extend further inland, and that defining the inland boundary must recognise the principle of ki uta ki tai (from mountains to the sea).
The above methods need not be mutually exclusive. Plans may use maps, criteria and descriptions to define the coastal environment.
