The Marine Management Organisation has announced that a series of local events will be held across England as part of public consultation for the next phase of marine planning.
These start on the 11th of April and are open to anyone with an interest in the marine area. According to the MMO, these are an introduction to marine planning, providing the opportunity to meet local marine planners and to find out more about what marine planning will mean for each area. There will also be demonstrations of the online Marine Information System and evidence base, displaying some of the information and evidence already gathered.
‘The marine plans, which will cover the north east, north west, south east and south west, will guide what happens in the marine area, making sure activities take place at the right time and in the right place, enabling sustainable growth’ said the MMO.
‘Building on the work and knowledge of the East Marine Plans and the draft South Marine Plan, this next phase will complete the network of marine plans, ensuring that all marine areas are covered by a plan by 2021. As part of this, we are holding a number of events in the north east, south east, south west and north west of England.’
The MMO is also launching public consultation on the Statement of Public Participation and the Sustainability Appraisal Scoping Report for this next phase of marine plans.
The Statement of Public Participation includes details on how, when and to whom we will engage with through the marine planning process. The Sustainability Appraisal assesses the social, economic and environmental impacts of a marine plan. Both consultations will be published on 11 April on the marine planning pages of gov.uk.
Further details are available from the MMO website
