Marine planning in England
Marine planning is a new approach to managing the seas around England
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What is a marine plan?
Marine planning is the process used to manage the use of marine resources in a sustainable and coordinated manner. It ensures the right activities happen in the right place, at the right time and in the right way.
A Marine Plan:
- Sets out priorities and directions for future development within the plan area
- informs sustainable use of marine resources
- helps marine users understand the best locations for their activities, including where new developments may be appropriate.
- Provides guidance on things to promote or avoid for some locations.
Marine plans guide those who use and regulate the marine area to encourage sustainable development while considering the environment, economy and society. Marine plans apply only in their area, but if a proposed activity may affect the plan area, this should be acknowledged and considered in the application and decision making.
A marine plan aims to:
- encourage local communities to be involved in planning
- make the most of growth and job opportunities
- consider the environment from the start
- enable sustainable development in the marine area
- integrate with planning on land
- save time and money for investors and developers by giving clear guidance on things to consider or avoid
- encourage shared use of busy areas to benefit as many industries as possible
- encourage developments that consider wildlife and the natural environment
When you apply for a licence or approval you’ll need to show how you have considered an adopted marine plan or the Marine Policy Statement (MPS). You should explain how the marine plan supports your activity and explain how your project will contribute to achieving objectives in the marine plan.
The development of the plans is done through a 12 stage process. For information on each stage and how you can get involved, use the link below.
Marine plan areas
There are 6 Marine Plans covering 11 marine plan areas which is shown in the map below. The inshore marine plan area ranges from MHWS (including the waters of any estuary, river or channel, so far as the tide flows at MHWS) out to 12 nm. The offshore marine plan area ranges from beyond 12nm out to the boundary of the Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) which is up to 200 nautical miles.
Tools and Guidance
The Using Marine Plans page details updated guidance and examples on how marine plans may be used. This includes S58(1) and S58(3) decisions, a guide for local authorities, cross-border guide and common issues with Marine Plan Policy Assessments.
The Explore Marine Plans interactive service enables users to view data and policy information spatially to support applications for activities in and around the sea. A video demonstration on how to use this service can be seen here.
The Marine Planning team is here to support you and we have a representative for each marine plan area. They can help with marine planning advice, understanding policies and for keeping you updated with the marine plans in your area.
Updates to this page
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Updated to reference Explore Marine Plans
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Marine planning newsletter added
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First published.