Coastal zone planning

Coastal zone planning is a planning plan for a delimited area of ​​fjords and bays outside the local boundaries of municipalities, where the government's policy and decisions on the use and protection of the area are presented.

Coastal area planning for Vestfjörður and Austfjörður came into force in the spring of 2023 after confirmation by the minister and publication in the Official Gazette, and are the first planning plans for fjords and bays on the country's coasts.

Coastal zone planning in the Austfjörður

Coastal spatial planning in the Westfjords

The Westfjords coastal area plan was confirmed by the Minister in March 2023 and took effect on its publication in B-part of the Icelandic constitution. Here you can find the process behind the plan and the data generated by the work.

The Westfjords coastal zone is defined by the Westfjords Coastal Planning Association (WRS) and includes the fjords and bays from Bjargtöngum in the south to Straumnes in the north. The boundary of the zone is at the shoreline, 115 m from the coastal high tide, while the boundary of the municipalities is at the shoreline. The boundary of the zone extends to the ocean, which is defined by the Law on Fisheries in Icelandic territorial waters, but it follows in all respects the basic line of the territorial waters. The boundary is defined by six municipalities: Vesturbyggð, Tálknafjarðarhreppur, Ísafjarðarbær, Bolungarvíkurkaupstaður, Súðavíkurhreppur and Strandabyggð.