Ballina expects its population to double to more than 65,000, and Coffs Harbour estimates growth from 50,000 to more than 100,000. The Nature Conservation Council supports greater beach protection but has warned that a development moratorium must be introduced first to prevent a repeat of the development rush that preceded the Native Vegetation Conservation Act. The coastal council is understood to have urged the Government to review caravan parks, which it says are limiting public access and permitting manufactured homes to proliferate without development consent. The council has also prepared a draft discussion paper on whether dogs should be allowed on beaches and, if so, in what circumstances. Banning dogs from beaches causes major disputes and there is no consistent approach in the State.
Many councils opt to limit dog walking to certain beaches and to certain times of the day.
The council has been meeting with the NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service to determine how the issue is being managed. Until now the 1997 coastal policy has lacked legislative back-up, has been mostly unrecognised by the Land and Environment Court, and has excluded the greater metropolitan region. Extending from Newcastle to Shellharbour, the region includes some of the most sensitive habitats yet those under the greatest development pressures. There is growing support among conservationists and government authorities to bring Newcastle and Shellharbour councils, which share catchment areas outside the greater metropolitan region, into the framework of the coastal policy. Dr Refshauge warned last May that the coasts would come under increasing development pressures from a new generation leaving cities for life by the sea.