Regional Coastal Environment Plan
The Regional Coastal Environment Plan promotes sustainable management of the natural and physical resources of the Bay of Plenty's coastal environment.
Download a copy of the current Plan here:
The Plan covers the entire coastal environment (230KB, doc) including the coastal marine area (the area between mean high water spring tides and the '12 mile limit' of the territorial seas) and the land backdrop. It includes:
- Rules to regulate some activities in the coastal marine area.This includes building of structures, disturbance of the foreshore or seabed, reclaiming the sea, discharging contaminants and other activities.These activities generally require a coastal permit from Bay of Plenty Regional Council before they can be undertaken.
- Policies about important environmental issues on land adjacent to the sea. This includes issues relating to the natural character and landscape of the coast, public access and coastal hazards. These policies do not regulate people's activities directly but provide guidance in the preparation of district plans and consideration of resource consents.
- Fifteen schedules including site specific information on coastal values (including landscape, vegetation, bird habitat, conservation areas and culturally significant areas), development plans for the Ports of Tauranga and Whakatane, water quality standards and environmental monitoring.
Review of the Regional Coastal Environment Plan
The current operative Regional Coastal Environment Plan is under review. A draft of the new Regional Coastal Environment Plan is now available for public comment.
Comments will be received up to 4.00pm on Friday 28 June 2013.
Check out the New Bay of Plenty Regional Coastal Environment Plan webpage for more details
The rules and policies in the current Plan still apply.
See also
- Regional Coastal Environment Plan Review report - April 2012 (4.90MB, pdf)
- Coastal Policy Review Newsletter No 1 February 2012 (3.47MB, pdf)
- Coastal Policy Review Newsletter No 2 April 2012 (322KB, pdf)
- New Zealand Coastal Policy Statement 2010 (480KB, pdf)
- Proposed Regional Policy Statement webpage
- Proposed Variation 1 (Coastal Policy) webpage
- Coast webpage
- Aquaculture webpage
- Coastal Occupation Charges webpage
Plan changes
Provisions relating to restricted coastal activities were removed from the Regional Coastal Environment Plan on 22 February 2011 in accordance with the New Zealand Coastal Policy Statement 2010.
- Replacement pages (22 February 2011) (1.1MB, pdf)
Statutory Acknowledgements
From November 2010 a compendium document Nga Whakaaetanga-a-Ture ki Te Taiao a Toi (Statutory Acknowledgements in the Bay of Plenty) to the operative Bay of Plenty Regional Policy Statement and regional plans is available. Check out the Statutory Acknowledgements webpage for more information.
Planning Maps
The planning maps cover the entire coastal strip of the region, including harbours and offshore islands and land backdrop at a scale of 1:25 000. The maps identify many of the special values of the coast that need protecting.
Coastal Marine Area and River Mouth Boundary Agreement 2008
The Regional Council, territorial authorities and Minsiter of Conservation are required to agree on thelocationof river mouths in the region, which are then used to establish the boundary of the coastal marine area in rivers that enter the sea.
The Coastal Marine Area Boundary and River Mouths were redefined in 2008 by a new agreement signed by therelevantterritorial authorities (Western Bay of Plenty District Council, Tauranga City Council, Whakatane District Council and Opotiki District council), the Regional Council and the Department of Conservation(acting on behalf of the Minster of Conservation).These boundaries replace those included in the Second Schedule of theRegional Coastal Environment Plan and shownon the planning maps.
The following signed agreement and maps are available for you to download:
Order a copy of the Coastal Plan
Order the plan by contacting us - details below. The Plan costs are (prices include GST):
- Volume 1 (Text) - $40
- Volume 2 (Maps) - $90
The Plan is available to view at Bay of Plenty Regional Council offices, all public libraries throughout the Bay of Plenty and service centres of Bay of Plenty's City and District Councils.
Key Contact
Regional Coastal Environment Plan: Jo Noble extn 9471 or jo.noble@boprc.govt.nz