Marine Consents
Marine Management Organisation
The Marine Management Organisation (MMO) administers a range of statutory controls that apply to marine works, including all construction, coastal defences, dredging and the disposal of waste materials at sea in waters around England for which responsibility is vested in the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs. You can view licence applications on the MMO's public register available on its website.
In April 2011, the Marine Management Organisation (MMO) launched a new system for licensing marine activities in seas around England, a commitment set out in the Marine and Coastal Access Act 2009. The new system should result in a more streamlined application process for developers, and will enable the MMO to publish information about how decisions take into account the needs of coastal communities and the environment. Applications can be made via the Marine Management Organisation’s website.
In March 2012, the Solent Forum published the fourth edition of its Marine and Coastal Consents Guide. This gives information on consents and considerations that need to be taken into account for those wishing to undertake development and activities around the coast.
Major Infrastructure Planning Unit
The Planning Act 2008 and Localism Act 2011 lay out the processes for making decisions on the development of major, or 'nationally significant' infrastructure projects (NSIPs). Around the coast this includes development like the building of new ports and offshore wind farms.
The Planning Act 2008 introduced a new process for decision-making on NSIPs for energy, transport, water and waste. The Major Infrastructure Planning Unit, which sits within the Planning Inspectorate, now administers applications before advising the relevant Minister. The Minister will then make the final decision on whether the project should go ahead or not.
National Policy Statements
Ports around England and Wales will soon have a new planning framework to work in when considering large scale developments, due to the launch of the Government's new National Policy Statement (NPS) for the sector. These Statements are provided for by the Planning Act 2008. The Infrastructure Planning Commission (IPC), also created under that Act, will be required (subject to certain statutory exceptions) to determine planning cases in accordance with the relevant NPS, once it has been ratified after consultation. Under the present system, harbour developments are subject to harbour revision or empowerment orders under the Harbours Act 1964. In some cases additional planning consents under Town and Country Planning legislation, and/or the Transport and Works Act, are required in parallel. The new system will simplify applications by providing for these consents to be combined in one Development Consent Order.
