Guidance
South marine plan areas selection
How the decision was made to plan in the South Inshore and South Offshore marine plan areas.
Documents
Details
The decision making process for selecting the third and fourth marine plan areas to be planned is based on 7 decision streams that were examined collectively to ensure a robust decision was made and is the same methodology used to select the first 2 areas. The 7 decision streams are:
- stakeholder engagement in plan area selection
- assessment of coastal stakeholder partnerships
- technical report of economic, environmental and social information
- implications of current and proposed marine protected areas
- future pressures and their implications
- implications of planning inshore and offshore together
- implications of planning with bordering nations
The Marine Management Organisation used the decision streams, aligned to the criteria advised by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, to conclude that the South marine plan areas have:
- benefitted from a greater number of marine planning-related projects
- about 10 coastal stakeholder partnerships
- high levels of economic human activity, are tending towards the most poor environmental status or declining condition and have one of the highest percentages of surveyed seabed
- the advantage of being an inshore and offshore area together – work in the East marine plan areas has proved the advantages of planning adjacent areas together
- no border with a devolved administration and as each administration is at a different stage in the marine planning process this would add a layer of complexity at this stage
Published 11 June 2014