Marine Planning in Wales

Julia WilliamsHead of Marine Branch

The Legal Position

- Welsh Ministers are both the marine policy and planning

authority for Wales under Marine & Coastal Access Act 2009,

for both Welsh inshore and offshore waters

- If Welsh plans include reference to non-devolved functions,

they need agreement of the UK Govt to be binding on public

authorities

- Can’t have joint plans for cross-border areas but can

plan

jointly

Marine Policy Statement

- Assembly Government has worked with other UK

Administrations on the draft Statement which is currently

out to joint formal consultation - Until Welsh plans are in place, the Statement will provide

the policy context for making decisions affecting Welsh

seas

- Welsh Plans will be developed in accordance with

the Statement

The Timetable in Wales

- Key aim is to have a national plan in place by 2012/13 - Consultation planned by end of 2010 on framework for developing planning in Wales - overall process, spatial approach, activity and evidence mapping, stakeholder engagement - Assembly Government’s Marine Branch will lead on work

Spatial Approach

- Proposal is to have a national plan for Wales. Reflects recommendations of Wales Coastal & Maritime Partnership when the Marine Bill being developed, and more recent informal consultation with stakeholders - Consultation will also include options on how to plan on a more localised or regional basis – different views from informal consultation on whether there was need for separate regional plans or to ‘nest’ more detailed planning for activity ‘hotspots’ within national plan

- Decisions will be sharpened by funding constraints

Planning Across Borders

- Assembly Government will work very closely with MMO, especially on cross-border areas. To repeat – can’t have a joint plan for a cross- border area but can, and will, plan jointly - Will be challenges : Wales intends to have a national plan and has not yet decided its approach to more localised/regional planning - Important that decision on which English regions to plan for first takes into account

the developing position in Wales - MMO have been consulting Assembly Government throughout

Stakeholder Engagement

- Both Assembly Government and MMO committed to working with existing forums, such as SEP - Key building block for successful planning will be accurate mapping of existing and known future activities, their relationships, integrating sea and land planning and ‘win:win:’ potential - Very much hope that SEP will be able to make major contribution to this work

Policy Priorities for Wales

- We might include initial in first consultation proposals on key policy priorities for specific areas

- If we do, will want to sound out stakeholders first – probably through Wales Coastal & Maritime Partnership, of which SEP is a member

Key Challenges for Wales

- Evidence gaps - ‘Future-proofing’ - Understanding what constitutes effective stakeholder engagement when consensus unlikely to be achieved - Striking a balance between ‘bottom-up’ and ‘top-down’ approaches - Potential differences between Assembly Government and UK Government policies