Dave,

There are a number of environmentally friendly techniques, and vegetation can help immensely. Consider reviewing this book:

http://link.springer.com/book/10.1007%2F978-1-4614-7996-3

I hope that helps. 

Dave, your question is very succinct. In order to come up with a solution it will be useful to know what the purpose of the beach is. You mention that you need to establish a beach. Does it means that shore erosion is already happening, or do you wish to establish the beach for use by the public. What kind of material will you use ot establish the beach?

In answering these questions, one needs to quantify two things. One is the erosive capacity of the water and the other is the erosion resistance of the earth material. In your case I would assume that the erosion resistance will be determined by a combination of flowing water and waves due to wind blowing over the water surface. The erosion resistance of the earth material is determined by particle size, compactness, friction angle of the material.

I do not know how far you have progressed with the project, but some guidance to solve this problem might be found in my book: Annandale, G.W. 2006. Scour Technology, McGraw-Hill.  If you wish to explore this further let me know.

George Annandale