Marine Planning update

Steve BrookerHead of Marine

Planning

Contents

• Context– Marine planning at the MMO– Basis and benefits of marine planning– Marine planning and licensing

• Marine Plan Areas– Area selection process– East inshore and offshore

• Next Steps

Marine planning at the MMO

Executive

Networks and Decision Support

Operational Support Operations

Fisheries Management

Regulation & Licensing

Planning

Plan making in plan areas

Policy Implementation, Monitoring, Reporting & Sustainability appraisal

Non-plan making

Basis of marine planning

• Aim: contribute to and help deliver sustainable development

• Marine & Coastal Access Act

• Marine Policy Statement (MPS)

• In England, Marine Plans will translate the MPS into detailed policy objectives and spatial guidance for each Marine Plan area (MMO)

Benefits of marine planning

• National planning will be used to help coordinate delivery of MSFD, MCZs, CFP and WFD

• Sustainable development

- Integrates economic, social and environmental objectives

• Early involvement of stakeholders

• Consistent, evidence-based decision making

• Greater certainty for investors/developers

• Integration with coastal, estuarine and terrestrial plans

• Plan for new activities and emerging technologies

• Improved basis for addressing cumulative effects

Marine planning and licensing

• Transitional arrangements will be in place for the period when marine plans are still in development

Marine plans

Marine Policy

Statement

Guidance

Screening

Scoping

Investigation and preparation

Submit

Consult and review

Decision

Appeal

Marine plan area selection process

• Defra provided guidance on criteria, streamlined by the MMO to seven:

- Stakeholder engagement in plan area selection

- Assessment of coastal stakeholder partnerships

- Technical report of economic, environmental and social evidence

- Implications of current and proposed marine protected areas

- Future pressures and impacts

- Implications of planning inshore and offshore together

- Implications of planning with bordering nations

Summary of findings• Stakeholders favoured East, South West, and North West• Coastal partnerships exist in all inshore areas, albeit with varying

governance arrangements and level of preparedness• Technical report showed socio-economic gain in East,

environmental gain in North West, South West and South• Greatest overall increase in Marine Protected Areas (proposed

SACs and SPAs) in East inshore• Greatest future pressure from increase in activity in East offshore• Efficiencies for delivery partners by planning an inshore and an

offshore together• Look to plan at the border areas when the MMO, Marine Scotland,

and the Welsh Assembly Government can align planning timetables

Areas selected

Some East Inshore & Offshore statistics • In 2009, of 123.63 km² dredged for

aggregates in England. Around 55% of this was in the selected plan areas, of which around 30% was ‘high intensity’¹

• Three large Round 3 areas allocated for wind energy projects: Hornsea, Norfolk and Dogger Bank. Cumulative capacity to generate over 20GW²

• Location of highest proportion of oil and gas infrastructure in English waters³

1. Figures extrapolated from ‘Marine Aggregate Dredging 2009’ published by TCE and MPA. High intensity is seabed dredged for more than 1 hr 15 minutes per year

2. The Crown Estate

3. Drawn from CEFAS technical feeder report to ‘Decision on first marine plan areas’

Larger bar length indicates increased proportion of activity

Next steps• Statement of Public Participation by April 2011

- Online questionnaire, mid-November

- Three workshops in January 2011

- Consultation of draft SPP in February 2011• Begin plan making in April 2011• MMO needs to make decisions on best available evidence• Role of coastal partnerships

– Opportunities for engagement in the East inshore and offshore areas

– Information sharing with the non-Plan making areas

Contact us

Email:

planning@marinemanagement.org.uk

Telephone:

0191 376 2790