Not every spot can be highly accessible, and that’s OK. We aim for a good mix across the coastline so people can connect with the coast in different ways. To do this, coastal locations are assessed and categorised into the site's accessibility potential.

We look at a site’s accessibility potential using five things:

• Existing conditions: terrain, coastal processes, and any current access features.
• Location and users: how close it is to homes, town centres and transport, how popular it is now, and how many more people could visit if barriers were removed.
• Usage: what people do there (for example, walking, swimming, fishing) and what gear they bring (prams, mobility aids).
• Community expectations: what locals say is missing and how they want to use the place.
• Maintenance: the level of service the land manager can realistically provide.

How this guides action

We follow a simple method:

site audit
↓
analysis
↓
identify issues and opportunities
↓
community and stakeholder input
↓
assign a rating
↓
list site opportunities for future works.

This gives us a clear, consistent way to plan upgrades and advocate for you with other land managers.

Your feedback in our Phase 1 Consultation allowed us to assign ratings to the sites and create a list of site opportunities. In this consultation, we want to know if you agree with our assessment.

Beaches and coastlines get a rating from T1 to T5:

• T1 = Optimal Accessibility (the highest level of access)
• T5 = Minimal Accessibility (basic access only)

Each level sets what visitors can typically expect. The rating helps match designs to the place and guides where investment will have the biggest benefit.

The majority of T1 - T3 beaches were given to beaches managed by City of Clarence, so improvements can be planned and delivered more easily.