Deadline Extended – now closes 11:45 p.m. on the 20th April 2020 – this consultation was due to close on the 6th April 2020 but the deadline has been extended due to the Covid-19 outbreak. However the MMO urges people who have nearly completed their response to try to meet the original 6th April deadline if at all possible.
The Marine Management Organisation has launched a public consultation on the draft North West, North East, South West and South East Marine Plans. The consultation will run for 12 weeks until 6th April 2020.
This is the final stage of statutory public consultation before the Plans are submitted to the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs for adoption.
The MMO has arranged implementation training sessions for decision-makers throughout the consultation period and there will also be a series of webinars (national and plan area-based) early in the consultation period to assist all stakeholders in making representations on the draft marine planning documents.
The MMO says “This is a very significant stage in the development process as a draft marine plan becomes a statutory consideration in all relevant decisions affecting the marine area once it is published for public consultation. Public authorities are responsible for implementing the relevant Marine Plans for their area, through existing regulatory and decision-making processes. As well as public authorities, all applicants, third parties and advisors should also consider the draft Marine Plans. Proposals should conform to all relevant policies, taking account of economic, environmental and social considerations.”
Each draft Marine Plan includes the plan’s vision, objectives and policies. Draft Technical Annexes, providing more detail on the implementation of each policy, should be read alongside the draft Marine Plans. Other supporting documents include the draft Sustainability Appraisal and the draft Habitats Regulations Assessment reports.
For full details of the consultation for all the marine plan areas, the supporting documents and how to respond please follow this link.
Documentation for the North West Marine Inshore and Offshore Marine Plan can be found here.
Responses to the draft North West Inshore and Offshore Marine Plans can be made via the online Citizen Space tool (NB this link also contains all the links to the documentation on the North West Marine Plans above).
