Volume One 13. Use of the Coastal Environment 13. Use of the Coastal Environment This chapter does not contain provisions managing marine farming. Introduction Marlborough’s coastal environment consists of two quite distinct geographic areas: the Marlborough Sounds and the south Marlborough coast. The Sounds are essentially large drowned river valleys lying between mountain ranges, extending from Cape Soucis in the west to Port Underwood in the east. In complete contrast, the south Marlborough coast is an open sea coast, extending from Robin Hood Bay (Port Underwood) in the north to Willawa Point in the south. Together these areas contain approximately 1,800 kilometres of coastline, around 11 percent of New Zealand’s total coastline. The New Zealand Coastal Policy Statement 2010 (NZCPS) recognises that the extent and characteristics of the coastal environment varies from region to region and locality to locality. The NZCPS also lists a range of factors that help inform what the coastal environment includes. In a Marlborough context, the extent of the coastal environment has been identified in Chapter 6 - Natural Character of the Marlborough Environment Plan (MEP) and includes the coastal marine area (an active coastal interface area where the sea is the dominant element and influence on landform, vegetation and perception) and a coastal significance area, which generally includes land up to the first coastal ridge. Given that a coastal influence is evident throughout the Marlborough Sounds, all of this area is considered to be coastal environment. The southern coast of Marlborough is more complex due to variation in landform; therefore the extent of coastal environment differs from location to location. The landward extent of the coastal environment is mapped in the MEP and the provisions of this chapter apply seaward of the mapped line. In addition to the distinct geographical differences in Marlborough’s coastal environment, there is also diversity in land use, from the highly modified areas of Picton and Havelock, the less modified pockets of holiday home development throughout the Marlborough Sounds, areas of productive rural land bordering the coast, the salt works at Lake Grassmere in south Marlborough and the almost pristine or unmodified tracts of indigenous vegetation in Tennyson Inlet in the Marlborough Sounds. The waters of Marlborough’s coastal environment also reflect diversity in use and values, including recreation, as a means of transport and travel, commercial and recreational fishing, as a source of kaimoana and cultural significance for all (particularly Marlborough’s tangata whenua iwi), tourism, marine farming, boating, swimming, diving, jetties, moorings, boatsheds and appreciation of landscape and wilderness values. The structure for this chapter differs somewhat from other chapters as it includes management frameworks for specific activities. However, all subdivision, use and development activities within the coastal environment are firstly subject to the objectives and policies under Issue 13A. Subsequent to consideration of these objectives and policies in any resource consent application are the specific management frameworks applying to a range of activities. Subdivision, use and development activities in the coastal environment There is an expectation held by many that the natural and physical resources of Marlborough’s coastal environment are available for use and/or development to provide for the social, economic and cultural wellbeing of the community. (This issue has been addressed in Chapter 4 - Use of Natural and Physical Resources.) However, it is important that subdivision, use and development activities are appropriately located and carried out within prescribed limits to protect the values of Marlborough’s coastal environment, as directed by the Resource Management Act 1991 (RMA) and the NZCPS. The role of this chapter is to establish a management framework for all activities 13 – 1