Planning for the North Yorkshire and Cleveland Heritage Coast, a 58‐km stretch of some of the finest cliffed scenery on Britain's east coast, is nearing completion in 1982 and has taken 10 years of planning work. Delay has resulted from necessary coordination among many planning authorities on such issues as the boundaries of the Heritage Coast and its status within the statutory Development Plan system. This report shows the complexity of coastal management planning even when there is general agreement on the need to protect an important coast resource.