Discussion

While the need for a lead authority in Coastal Zone Management (CZM) was emphasised and was the main focus of the discussion, it remained unclear which body should take that lead. The complexity of the problem was acknowledged and it was recognised that no single body could be charged with the execution of all the relevant functions, but rather it was accepted that the lead authority should give the framework and guidance within which existing bodies could function in a co-operative manner.

The NRA was suggested as a possible lead authority but problems were raised due to the NRA not being directly accountable to the public and currently not having any planning functions. In general it was observed that if significant responsibility were retained by local government for CZM it would be difficult to make them answerable to a non-elected body.