20 A ugust 2015 C hapter 9 - C oastal M arine been created through the standard Private Plan Change process the Act specifies that the authorisations are allocated by public tender unless an alternative method of allocation is used. Once the authorisations have been allocated, the holders of the authorisations then need to apply for resource consents for marine farming. 9.2 Issue Restriction of public access to the coastal marine area due to the private occupation of coastal space. Occupation of coastal space involves the Council allocating or authorising the use of public resources for private benefit. In some cases the use of resources sought is temporary or non-exclusive, generally associated with surfacewater activities such as shipping, recreational boating, swimming or with seabed disturbance activities such as dredging or dumping. In other cases the use of resources requires a degree of use which results in the exclusion of other persons or activities, for example: ports, marinas, marine farms and structures (jetties, swing moorings, boatsheds, and subaqueous cables). Such uses generally rely on a coastal location and to varying degrees, contribute to the wellbeing of individuals and the community in general. Further, the Act and the New Zealand Coastal Policy Statement both recognise that ‘use’ can be made of the coastal marine area resources and that this does involve occupation of coastal space for private benefit. There are particular locations in the Marlborough Sounds where there is significant competition for coastal space for use as moorings. As demand for such private use of water space increases, the allocation of coastal marine space needs to be managed effectively and comprehensively to ensure that moorings are efficiently laid out, to avoid conflict with competing uses and users. For these reasons, it is necessary and appropriate that activities or ‘uses’ which require a coastal location and which consequently involve the occupation of coastal space, are provided for in the Plan. In providing for these uses which require access to areas of, or the resources of, the coastal marine area, adverse cumulative and other environmental effects must be addressed. Namely the wider context of enabling the community to provide for its social, economic and cultural wellbeing, and preserving the natural character of the coastal environment. The marine farm industry that has developed in the Marlborough Sounds is of significant value to the nation in terms of export earnings, and also to the region in terms of the employment and income flows that are derived from the industry. A substantial infrastructure involving processing facilities, ports, harvesting vessels and a multitude of other services has developed based on the marine farm industry and Sounds communities have been revitalised as a result of the development of the industry. All of that infrastructure is reliant The next page is 9 - 4 9 - 3