Coastal areas are not under the jurisdiction of local authorities outside an area marked as a line 115 metres seaward of the high water mark. Due to this, the area further than 115 metres offshore does not fall under planning regulations. The use of these areas is taken care of by six government ministries and a large and diverse range of agencies, as well as a very limited amount of influence from local governments. Governance and decision making have therefore been inefficient and monitoring/assessment of the area?s overall use minimal. It is clear that with the current situation there is room for conflicts of interest, especially in light of growing and diversifying usage patterns. Increased stress caused by wider use logically calls for a comprehensive plan for coastal areas. This is probably nowhere as pressing as in the Westfjords, and especially in Arnarfjörður. Many places overseas are working to unify the planning and management of coastal areas. Iceland has not been a leading voice in these discussions, but changes are happening here nonetheless. One example of this is the current implementation process of the European Union Water Framework Directive, which, among other things, calls for an integrated approach to coastal management and for more co-operation between the state and local authorities.

This project includes a local government plan on the use of coastal areas in the Westfjords which is similar to land-based planning. This local government endeavour to use coastal resources in a united manner is connected to the desire to build on the region?s strengths. These strengths are largely related to the coast and the sea, and the resources therein. Resources from the sea and coast are what the current economic activity and communities in the Westfjords are (and will continue to be) built on. Examples include fishing, aquaculture, transport, tourism, outdoor recreation, seabed mining, landfill, engineering works, road building, and many other construction projects. This was underlined again at the Westfjords General Meeting on the 6th February 2009 on the implementation of the 20/20 strategy.

The exploitation of coastal areas in the Westfjords is a subject which has been on the radar for several years. A Westfjords local governments? initiative began in mid 2009 designed to look into the topic. The project was undertaken by the Association of Municipalities of the Westfjords, in co-operation with the University Centre of the Westfjords and the environmental planning and design company, Teiknistofan Eik, in Ísafjörður. The 54th regional assembly of the Westfjords, held in September the same year, reiterated the will of the area?s local authorities with the following resolution:

"The municipalities of the Westfjords call for co-operation with national authorities on the planning of Westfjords coastal areas. It is the opinion of the Association of Municipalities of the Westfjords that the Westfjords is the ideal region in which to devise and develop methods and rules in this important policy area, with the addition of the fact that the region already boasts specialist knowledge and wide-reaching research in this field."

As well as being in the interest of the local authorities, it is also possible to predict innovations on behalf of Teiknistofan Eik and the University Centre of the Westfjords, which are both actively collecting specialist knowledge on coastal planning. Such specialist knowledge is not widespread here in Iceland; but it is predicted that the need for it will grow with increased use of the coast and the changing regulatory environment.

It is the opinion of the concerned parties that the Westfjords can be looked at as an ideal testing ground for coastal organisation and utilisation planning. This is both because of the region?s strong links to the sea and varied use of it; but also because of local people?s interest, initiative and knowledge towards the issue. The first step in this project was taken in November 2009, when four open meetings were held in the Westfjords, introducing the project and gathering information from interested parties and residents on current coastal usage. During the meetings it quickly came to light that the general public was very interested in the issue of coastal use and management. Following the meetings it was decided to restrict the project at first only to Arnarfjörður. Arnarfjörður will therefore be looked upon as a testing ground before any attempt is made to create a coastal utilisation plan for the whole Westfjords region. There is more on the reasons behind this decision later in the section called „Plan area?.

The timing of this project is fortuitous because most municipalities in the Westfjords are completing (or have already finished) their land use master plans and are turning now to the need to prepare the implementation of the EU Water Directive. The utilisation plan and strategic plan for the Westfjords, which are now in preparation, will also strengthen each other.