Coastal management FAQs

The State Government requires all coastal councils in New South Wales to prepare Coastal Zone Management Plans in accordance with state policies and guidelines.

The risks to our coast from coastal processes, climate change and sea level rise are now well recognised. City of Coffs Harbour therefore resolved to prepare a Coastal Zone Management Plan for the Coffs Harbour coastline, to define the level of risk from coastal hazards and provide a co-ordinated approach to management of coastal hazards.

The NSW Government Guidelines for preparing a Coastal Zone Management Plan include the following stages:

Stage 1: Identify hazards/management issues and their severity (the Coffs Harbour Coastal Processes and Hazards Definition Study)
Stage 2: Identify and evaluate management options
Stage 3: Propose management actions and an implementation schedule

Council at its meeting of the 14th of February 2013 adopted the Coffs Harbour Coastal Zone Management Plan completing all 3 stages. The plan was then certified in August 2018, and updated in 2019 following additional geotechnical analysis.

The hazard and inundation maps show the likelihood of coastal hazards or inundation occurring during a storm event. Each map represents a different timeframe - Immediate (now), 2050 and 2100. At each timeframe, the maps show the extent of coastal erosion or inundation that is 'almost certain', 'unlikely' and 'rare'.

There are three lines adjacent to the coastline on each map. The lines show the forecast change of the shoreline position that is 'almost certain', 'unlikely' and 'rare'. The lines are adopted across the length of the beach. This is because all locations along a beach have the potential to be affected, depending upon the wave height, direction and water level of storms, with and without sea level rise.
The blue line indicates the 'almost certain' change in coastline position as a result of normal coastal processes without sea level rise.

The yellow line indicates the 'unlikely' change in coastline position as a result of maximum recorded beach erosion, at any location on the beach. For the 2050 and 2100 maps, the line also includes sea level rise of 0.4 metres and 0.9 metres, respectively.

The orange line refers to the 'rare' change in coastline position as a result of extreme beach erosion. For 2050 and 2100, the line shows the worst case scenario of climate change or sea level rise of 1.4 m by 2100.

Coastal inundation is represented by the shaded areas around coastal creeks and rivers that are connected to the ocean. These areas are low lying so could be inundated due to elevated ocean levels. Each map shows blue, yellow and orange areas which again refer to 'almost certain', 'unlikely' and 'rare' probabilities.

The blue area refers to the 'almost certain' extent of inundation as a result of a 1-in-20 year storm surge, which includes high tide, wind, waves and air pressure during a storm.

The yellow area indicates the 'unlikely' extent of inundation during a 1-in-100 year storm surge. For the 2050 and 2100 maps, the inundation area also includes sea level rise of 0.4 metres and 0.9 metres, respectively.

The orange area refers to the 'rare' extent of inundation during a 1-in-100 year storm surge. For the 2050 and 2100 maps, the area also includes the worst case scenario sea level rise of 1.4 m by 2100.

This means that your property is identified as having a risk of coastal erosion or inundation in the future. As explained above, the maps show that the likelihood of this maybe 'almost certain' 'unlikely' or 'rare'. The Study and hazard mapping is the starting point of the process to put in place management options to deal with these potential hazards.

The Australian coastline is already at risk from events such as cyclones and severe storms. The development of the Coastal Zone Management Plan - of which this Study is the first step - is designed to minimise the forecast, long-term impacts of severe weather and sea level rise.

The NSW Government requires that all properties within identified coastal hazard areas are subject to a Planning Certificate, under the Environmental Planning and Assessment Act 1979.

When land is bought or sold, the Conveyancing Act 1919 requires a Planning Certificate to be attached to the contract of sale.

Planning Certificates, also known as zoning certificates, are legal documents issued by councils under the provisions of the Act.

They contain information about how a property may be used and restrictions on development that may apply.

Such information includes, but is not limited to, the zoning of land, permissible and prohibited land uses, details of exempt and complying development and controls for development or hazards, such as coastal erosion, flooding or bush fire.

The Planning Certificates have been updated on all properties within the coastal zone. 

The NSW Coastal Management Act 2016 requires councils to determine the risk from coastal hazards and sea level rise occurring on land in the coastal zone.

As noted above, under NSW legislation, the City of Coffs Harbour has a duty of care to notify property owners of this risk with notation on Planning Certificates.

Any change in a our classification of properties can have some impact on property values.

We have implemented similar classification systems for flood, bushfire and acid sulphate soils risk.

One of the high priority actions contained within the Coastal Zone Management Plan was the formulation of updated local policy and planning controls to address development affected by coastal hazards. 

A review of controls relating to Coastal Hazards was submitted to the NSW government for approval. The NSW State Environmental Planning Policy (Resilience and Hazards) 2021 was updated on 4 August 2023 to include the Coffs Harbour 2100 unlikely hazard line into the Coastal Vulnerability Mapping. This is accompanied by the the City's Coastal Vulnerability Area Policy and a chapter in the Coffs Harbour Development Control Plan 2015.