Have Your Say
Input from local communities who value and use outer Sydney Harbour is vital to the success of the Coastal Management Program (CMP). To address current and emerging threats and protect the harbour’s environmental, social and economic values, the Sydney Coastal Councils Group (SCCG) is leading the preparation of the Outer Sydney Harbour CMP.
This program is being developed in close partnership with participating local councils and relevant NSW Government agencies. Working together, the SCCG and its project partners are seeking community input to help guide a coordinated, long-term approach to managing coastal hazards, enhancing ecological health and improving public amenity, ensuring the harbour remains a vibrant and resilient asset for generations to come.
Help shape the future of outer Sydney Harbour by sharing your values, issues and aspirations. Click the button below to add your comments to the interactive map and provide input across the key themes by March 2026. Your feedback is vital in identifying priorities, challenges and opportunities, and will directly inform the development of the Coastal Management Program.
You can add input on the following key themes:
The important use of the outer harbour for recreation and opportunities to improve public access, foreshore and waterway use, and visual amenity.
The importance of the outer harbour’s terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems including bushland, dunes, wetlands, rainforest and seagrasses in maintaining biodiversity, the impact of coastal hazards, water pollution, litter and public use on these ecosystems, and opportunities for protecting and improving biodiversity.
The current and future threat from coastal hazards like erosion, tidal and coastal inundation, coastal cliff instability, sedimentation and shoaling, to private property and public assets, and opportunities to promote coastal adaptation and improve resilience in the face of climate change.
The contribution of the outer harbour to community lifestyle and cohesion, and opportunities to enhance the social and cultural well-being of local communities.
Economic activity on the outer harbour and its importance to local livelihoods, the harbour’s economic contribution and opportunities for economic development.
The importance of good governance in improving the health, amenity and resilience of the outer harbour, issues with current governance arrangements and opportunities for improvement.
The importance of Aboriginal and European heritage within the outer habour and opportunities to improve community understanding and connection to heritage.
The condition, performance and legal and heritage status of public and private seawalls, implications of projected sea level rise and opportunities for improving management of seawalls.
The influence of water quality on the ecological health, public use and visual amenity of the outer harbour, the impact of water pollution, and opportunities for improving water quality.
Other items and themes not listed above.
Study area
Sydney Harbour can be divided into the inner harbour comprising Parramatta River and Lane Cove River to the west, and the outer harbour extending eastwards from the confluence of the Parramatta River and Lane Cove River to encompass Port Jackson, Middle Harbour and North Harbour. The study area for the Outer Sydney Harbour CMP encompasses the coastal use area and areas that drain to the harbour within the local government areas (LGAs) of City of Sydney, Ku-ring-gai, Mosman, North Sydney, Northern Beaches, Willoughby and Woollahra, Sydney Harbour National Park, including harbour islands, and Garigal National Park, and Sydney Water’s area of operations.
The study area comprises a variety of built and natural foreshore environments. These include sandy beaches, rocky foreshores, mangrove wetlands and saltmarsh, littoral rainforest and coastal cliffs. It also encompasses public assets and private development affected by coastal processes such as seawalls, open space, roads, buildings and utility services.
The importance of managing Sydney Harbour
Sydney Harbour is one of the world’s most iconic urban waterways. It is highly valued both locally and internationally for its beautiful beaches and parks, numerous recreational opportunities and significant Aboriginal and European heritage. The harbour also plays a vital role as a working port, a premier tourist destination and a haven for diverse marine life. Yet, like many urban waterways, the harbour faces threats such as stormwater pollution, sewage overflows, litter and coastal inundation. These threats are likely to intensify with continued population growth, urban expansion and the impacts of climate change.
To address these threats and protect the harbour’s values, the SCCG is preparing a CMP for outer Sydney Harbour. This initiative is being undertaken in partnership with local councils and state agencies, with financial assistance from the NSW Coastal and Estuary Grants Program.
The CMP will provide a long-term direction for the coordinated management of the coastal zone in outer Sydney Harbour. Through a series of targeted actions, the CMP aims to enhance ecological health, improve public amenity and strengthen resilience to coastal hazards, ensuring the harbour remains a vibrant and sustainable asset for generations to come.