Thursday, 25 March 2010

SHETLAND MARINE SPATIAL PLAN CONSULTATION ENTERS NEW PHASE

The NAFC Marine Centre is helping drive forward the development of a Shetland Marine Spatial Plan that aims to improve the islands' marine management regimes.  The third edition of the draft plan was released for consultation on Monday (22 March) and will be open for comment until 14 June.

The Shetland Marine Spatial Plan sets out how responsible authorities and public bodies can work together to improve the management of our marine and coastal environment to deliver sustainable economic growth now and for future generations. It establishes an overarching policy framework to guide the placement of activity, from fishing to marine renewable energy.  The policies 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 third edition has benefited from extensive consultation with a wide range of stakeholders since the project began in 2006. Work has included a public consultation and trial implementation.  A Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) has also been conducted, which is a legal obligation on all plans and policies, and this process has been documented in a Draft Environment Report.

Dr Lorraine Gray, Shetland's project officer for the Scottish Sustainable Marine Environment Initiative (SSMEI) said: “People's input is extremely important, as many will have views about what a local area needs and where improvements can be made.  This consultation provides an opportunity to shape the future management of the seas around Shetland and to influence the development of marine spatial planning in Scotland, which is one of the main thrusts of the Scottish Marine Bill.”

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 SSMEI, the Scottish Government has piloted the production of the Marine Spatial Plan for Shetland, which could be statutory within the next five years as the Scottish Marine Bill is transposed into secondary legislation.

Coastal zone manager Martin Holmes said: “In the past, some people may have felt excluded from the marine planning process.  We hope that the introduction of this management tool, and surrounding consultation, has helped to create awareness and open up discussion among developers as to the needs of other users.”

Dr Lorraine Gray concluded: “A number of local events are being organised to give people the chance to discuss the Draft Marine Spatial Plan with the SSMEI project team prior to responding to the consultation. You can register your interest in one of these events by contacting the NAFC Marine Centre or your Community Council.”

Further information from:

Dr Lorraine Gray, SSMEI project officer, tel 01595 772332, email lorraine.gray@nafc.uhi.ac.uk or visit www.nafc.ac.uk

Or, Louise Rosie, Shaw Marketing and Design Ltd, tel 01595 692465, email louise.rosie@shaw-online.com or visit www.shaw-online.com