SSMEI Public Consultation
Welcome to the consultation on the 3rd edition of the Draft Marine Spatial Plan for the Shetland Islands. The consultation period will run from 22 March 2010 until 14 June 2010. This consultation is targeted at all who have an interest in the management, future use and development of the seas around Shetland, and to those seeking to influence the future marine planning in Scotland. This includes local users of the area, community members, local and national organisations, local and national industry and the general public.
Download the Draft Marine Spatial Plan for the Shetland Islands and its accompanying Marine Atlas here.
Part One - Policy Framework (2.38MB)
Part Two - Marine Atlas (5.63MB) - DATA DOWNLOADS COMING SOON
You may wish to use the questions provided that we would like your views on. These are provided on page 4 of the Plan.
The following Consultation Documents support the Draft Marine Spatial Plan and are available for download.
Supporting documents:
A Strategic Environmental Appraisal (SEA) accompanies the Draft Marine Spatial Plan.
Summary of the Plan
The Shetland Marine Spatial Plan brings together authoritative spatial data on the marine and coastal environment and its various uses. It establishes an overarching policy framework to guide the placement of activity, from marine renewable energy to aquaculture.
The Plan has benefited from extensive consultation with a wide range of stakeholders since the project began in 2006, including a public consultation and trial implementation.
These policies on marine planning should be taken into account by local planning authorities in the preparation of local development documents. They may also be material to decisions on individual planning applications. The implementation of this Plan will test the effectiveness of this approach, which aims to deliver the key benefits of:
- Providing a plan-led approach to the management of the sea around Shetland facilitating a more integrated and better informed decision making process regarding the future distribution of use of space and resources
- Enabling long-term protection and use of the marine environment
Please let us know what you think of the 3rd edition of the Marine Spatial Plan for the Shetland Islands and SEA Environment Report. This is your opportunity to shape future management of the sea around Shetland and to influence the development of marine planning in Scotland.
A summary of responses will be made available on this website.
How to Respond
You may wish to use the questions provided that we would particularly like your views.
Hard copies, requests, responses and any questions about the consultation should be directed to:
SSMEI Project Officer
NAFC Marine Centre
Port Arthur
Scalloway
Shetland
ZE1 0UN
Tel: +44 (0)1595 772332
Or by email to: Lorraine.Gray@nafc.uhi.ac.uk
All comments received will be considered and taken into account in the preparation of the Final Plan.
Background
Marine spatial planning has been proposed in Scottish and UK Marine Bills as a key tool to achieve more sustainable management of our seas and coast.
Through the Scottish Sustainable Marine Environment Initiative (SSMEI), the Scottish Government is developing and testing new approaches to marine management.
The Plan has been in development since 2006 with the emphasis on consultation with stakeholders at all stages. The Plan represents an innovative approach to marine planning, based on Scottish Ministers' commitment to making marine management more efficient, inclusive and accessible now and for future generations.
A Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) has informed the development of the current Draft Marine Spatial Plan for the Shetland Islands. This process has been documented in a Draft Environment Report, which identifies, describes and evaluates the likely significant effects on the environment of implementing the Plan.
Although we are aware that not everyone will always be fully satisfied by the planning decisions that are reached, we hope that more developers will get more involved in the needs of other users in the future.
Your input is extremely important as you will always have views about what your local area needs and where you want to see improvements.