Section 32 Report: Coastal Environment (inc Appendix 1) Plan
- Author
- New Plymouth District Council
- Year
- 2019
- Journal / Source
- Proposed New Plymouth District Plan
- Publisher / Organisation
- New Plymouth District Council
- Pages
- 62
- Keywords
- New Plymouth, plan
- Summary
- The New Plymouth District coastline spans 100km, from the Mokau River mouth in the north to the Hangatahua (Stony) River in the south. The coastal environment is valued for its natural character, its ecological, landscape, and its amenity, recreational, open space, cultural and historical values. The coastal environment is subject to dynamic natural processes and to on-going development pressure. The Operative District Plan identifies and maps a Coastal Policy Area and a Coastal Hazard Area, and applies rules to manage subdivision, use and development in these areas. However this mapping is based on outdated data, and the provisions do not give effect to the New Zealand Coastal Policy Statement 2010 (NZCPS) requirements for a strategic approach to coastal management, a precautionary approach to development of the coast, and recognition of tangata whenua as kaitiaki (guardians). Through the District Plan Review, the Council has reviewed and updated information relating to coastal hazards and coastal values. The key resource management issue relating to coastal management is the protection of coastal values from inappropriate activities. It is also important to manage the coastal environment to support resilient and sustainable coastal communities. This involves minimising exposure of people and property to coastal hazard risks, including from potential increased hazard risks associated with climate change. Recent documentation introduced by the Ministry for the Environment (MfE) also advises that coastal hazard assessments should use multiple scenarios of sea level rise to identify the spatial extent and magnitude of hazards, and to quantify the likelihood of hazards occurring.