Coastal Management Plan

The Coastal Management Plan (PDF, 660KB) provides non-regulatory policy guidance to coastal land managers.

The plan guides management planning, activities and works relating to:

  • maintaining coastal landforms and physical coastal processes
  • conserving nature
  • maintaining access to coastal resources for indigenous cultural activities
  • maintaining or enhancing public access
  • management planning
  • knowledge sharing and community engagement. The Coastal Management Plan is non-regulatory, and the policies contained in the plan provide best practice coastal management guidance only.

It is primarily aimed at local government, which is responsible for managing large areas of public coastal land and beaches. However other organisations with responsibility for managing coast and tidal water (port authorities, natural resource management groups, traditional owners) may also find the plan useful to guide their coastal management activities.

The Coastal Management Plan does not address land-use planning or development regulated under the Planning Act 2016 (Planning Act). Information about planning and development policies can be found on the Department of State Development, Manufacturing, Infrastructure and Planning website.

The table below indicates how the plan is to be applied.

  • Which government and non-government bodies can use it.
  • Types of management activities.
  • The land tenure it applies to.

Applied by

Applied to

Applied on

Managers of local and State government-controlled coastal land; for example local government

Management planning

State coastal land and other land tenures that include coastal resources.

Community groups

Management activities

Natural resource management bodies

Decisions and works that are not regulated under the Planning Act. For example development of a local government shoreline erosion management plan.

Research organisations

Businesses

Individuals that own coastal land

For more information about the coastal plan including copies of associated guidelines, please email coastal.support@des.qld.gov.au