MARINE SPATIAL PLANNING
One of the key areas that the Marine Bill will focus on is Marine Spatial Planning (MSP). This is a process by which the sustainable exploitation of marine resources can be planned and managed. While the process will result in the preparation and adoption of a marine spatial plan, the emphasis is likely to be as much on the process of planning and ongoing management as on the development of the plan itself. The expected benefits of MSP are:
- integrated and holistic management;
- protection of the marine environment;
- facilitation of marine development where appropriate;
- provision of greater certainty about where and how development might be directed; and
- a framework for marine consents.
The practicalities of such a plan and how it will function in the coastal zone need to be carefully considered.In particular, how it will interact with terrestrial planning and the land-sea interface? Will there be distinct boundaries or an overlap? There is also the question of scale; will MSP operate solely at the regional seas level, as the Irish Sea Pilot study has or will it require, as regional plans have done, sub-regional strategies for multi-use areas such as the Solent? It should allow users to look at the wider picture and not just at the activities of individual sectors.
One of the objectives of the Irish Sea Pilot was to develop an outline of an improved coastal and marine spatial planning framework and identify practical steps towards implementation. MSPs or policy frameworks should clearly set out priorities, policy guidance and environmental standards for the development and protection of marine resources. It is important that spatial planning does not add yet another layer of bureaucracy to the regulatory process or be an unnecessary barrier to development. The aim should be that, if good plans can be produced, developers would have a clear indication in advance of where particular types of development are likely to be acceptable and where they are not. The plans should help regulators to address the cumulative impacts on marine biodiversity of multiple developments in a given area, to deliver sustainable development, including economic, social and environmental objectives.
MSP for the Solent
It is possible that the Solent could be a sub regional area in a larger regional marine spatial plan. Reforms to the planning system on land mean that there are now regional strategies and Local Development Frameworks. Sub regional strategies are being developed for areas to address issues that cannot be dealt with either by individual or joint development plan documents or by other policies in the regional plan. If the MSP system was to mirror that of terrestrial planning, it is likely that the same approach will be taken with overarching plans being developed at the regional seas level and sub regional strategies being developed for areas where there are specific issues to be addressed or a concentration of many activities and interests in a specific area. The Solent may be considered such an area and as such play a role in the development of a sub regional MSP pilot.
The Solent Forum has been considering the idea of MSP and in 2007 began scoping work on a project that looks at how MSP would function in the coastal zone. See more about Solent Forum projects by visiting the projects page on our partnership site.
