The project is being run at the initiative of the municipalities, Teiknistofan Eik and the University Centre of the Westfjords. The utilisation plan therefore does not enjoy the same legal status as traditional plans. It is rather a policy declaration on the part of the municipalities on the use of the coasts, i.e. the area between 115 m seaward of the high water mark and one nautical mile out from the territorial waters baseline. It is the hope of the municipalities behind the project that official agencies at the national level will take note of this strategy when making decisions on the utilisation of coastal resources.

The utilisation plan will present a vision for the future use of the coast. It will be done in a similar manner to land-based planning, in other words the municipal land use master plans and local area zoning plans under which land use is defined geographically. In addition to this, information will also be collected on the natural conditions and current-day use of the coast. The project will not discuss arrangements, allocation or ownership of natural resources.

Policy formulation will depend, among other things, on a set of pre-existing assumptions, and also on the values upon which participants in the project place top priority. Differing points-of-view and priorities are quite likely among project participants, but there is a strong emphasis on making sure the group comes to some comprehensive and united conclusions. The strategy is intended to benefit the area in the long-term.