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Beach areas on the Coromandel Peninsula have been heavily developed over the last 40 years and development has occurred very close to the beach front. In some areas property has been placed within the zone of natural beach erosion and accretion. Natural protection from erosion provided by dunes has been removed to improve views. In some cases native sand binding plants that helped beach and dune recovery after storms have also been removed. As a result some coastal property is threatened by erosion and in some cases structures have been built to protect beachfront property. These structures often adversely affect the beach and prevent or detract from people’s activities on the beach. 

Development setbacks can be used to manage development within the hazard zone of the beach. Setbacks have been used on the eastern Coromandel Peninsula since the early 1980s. Subsequently, Waikato Regional Council and its predecessors have gathered a large amount of new information about coastal hazards and shoreline change. This information has been used to revise setback positions for Coromandel beaches. This report summaries these findings. The setbacks have been developed as a tool to assist District Councils manage coastal erosion and flooding in the short and long term. The setbacks are also designed to allow for new development while at the same time not disadvantaging public use of the beach and coast.

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Development setback recommendations: Coromandel beaches [PDF, 246 KB]