Calls for a new watchdog to prevent out of control housing developments along the coast have been dismissed by the Government.
The Environmental Defence Society wants tougher regulations to stop badly designed housing or urban sprawl.
The lobby group wants a Coastal Commission to enforce that and to identify areas of the coast which should never be developed.
But Conservation Minister Kate Wilkinson says the idea would just add another layer of bureaucracy and it's not a good way to spend taxpayers' money.
The minister also opposes using public funds to buy areas of coast to protect it from development.
