Coffs Harbour Open Coast - Coastal Management Program

Help develop a plan to protect what you value about our coastline

What is the Program About?

The City is developing a Coastal Management Program (CMP) for the open coastline. This long-term plan will guide how we protect, manage and enhance the environmental, social, cultural and recreational values of our beaches, headlands and harbour.

The CMP builds on work already completed for our estuaries and seeks community input on how people use the coast and what they value most.

The Open Coast CMP will focus on the region's beaches, headlands and harbour. It will build upon the work currently being undertaken for our region's estuaries Coastal Management Programs and involve input from the community on where and how people use our coastline and what they value about it.

Where we are up to

Stage 1 – Scoping Study is now complete.
Stage 1 defined the scope of the CMP and established the foundations for the next phases. It:
• Reviewed existing coastal management plans and strategies
• Clarified roles and responsibilities for managing the coastal zone
• Conducted a first-pass risk assessment
• Identified knowledge gaps and information to be updated
• Developed the business case and forward plan for the CMP

The Stage 1 Scoping Study also confirmed additional technical studies needed to better understand our coastal processes and to allow us to make the best management decisions for the future of the coast

What’s happening now?

Stage 2 is underway (expected completion October 2026).
This stage involves undertaking the identified technical studies to analyse and evaluate key risks, vulnerabilities and opportunities for the Coffs Harbour coastline.

What happens next?

Stage 3 will develop a suite of management actions to protect and enhance the values of our coastline, informed by community input and the findings from Stage 2.