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Press release

England's first marine plan areas announced

Date issued: 28 October 2010
Reference: 18/10

In consultation with partners and stakeholders, the Marine Management Organisation (MMO) has selected the sea areas off the coast between Flamborough Head in East Riding of Yorkshire to Felixstowe in Suffolk (known formally as East Inshore and East Offshore) as the first two English marine plan areas that will be developed from April 2011.

These two area plans will be the first in a series that will, over the coming years, grow to become a comprehensive marine planning system around England, enabling the effective integration of economic, social and environmental factors and promoting the sustainable development of our seas. The Marine Planning System is also likely to have significant benefits for local communities and the national economy.

The decision marks a major delivery milestone for the MMO in implementing the provisions of the Marine and Coastal Access Act 2009 and the Government’s vision for clean, healthy, safe, productive and biologically diverse oceans and seas. The MMO is the first organisation in the world to develop an integrated planning system for the marine area, mirroring the terrestrial planning regime, which has, over 60 years, become an established and trusted mechanism for integrating and balancing land use.

Steve Brooker, the MMO’s Head of Marine Planning, said “England’s marine area is extremely crowded in terms of existing activities and the pressure and competition for space are going to increase. Marine planning will enable the MMO and others to balance and integrate the vast range of competing activities and aspirations. As a country, we can then take informed decisions about the development of our sea area and our priorities, based on shared understanding, a common baseline and sound evidence.”

In taking forward marine plans from April 2011, the MMO will engage closely with the work of local authorities, coastal forums and communities to determine and agree how all those with an interest in the sustainable use of our seas can best contribute to this ground-breaking initiative.

Notes to editors

• ‪The MMO is a non-departmental public body created in April 2010 as a result of the Marine and Coastal Access Act 2009. It is the champion of sustainable development in the seas around England, bringing together key marine decision-making powers and delivery mechanisms to provide an integrated system of planning, regulating and licensing activity in the marine area.‪
• The Marine Policy Statement (MPS) sets out the Government’s objectives for the marine environment. Marine planning will reflect these objectives at the local level. Marine plans will be the statutory plans for decision making on activities in the marine area.‪
• The MMO is accountable to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) Secretary of State, who, as the marine plan authority, will approve each plan for consultation and adoption. The Marine Policy Statement will set the Government’s policy framework for marine planning and enables the delivery of social, economic and environmental benefits through the marine planning process and marine licensing decisions. More information can be found at www.defra.gov.uk/environment/marine/protect/planning/
• Charting Progress 2 (CP2) provides an assessment of the state of UK seas. It details the economic contribution of marine activities as an estimated £47 billion per year. CP2 provides the evidence to inform policy decisions on sustainable management of the marine environment. CP2 can be found at http://chartingprogress.defra.gov.uk
• Further information on marine planning is available at www.marinemanagement.org.uk/marineplanning/index.htm
• A map of the marine plan areas is available and sections 3 and 4 are the areas selected. The map is available at www.marinemanagement.org.uk/marineplanning/documents/marine_plan_areas.pdf
• A detailed map focussing on the selected marine plan areas is available from Thursday 28 October 2010 at www.marinemanagement.org.uk/marineplanning/documents/first_marine_plan_areas.pdf

Some of these documents are in the portable document format (PDF) for downloading. Adobe Acrobat Reader can be freely downloaded from www.adobe.co.uk