Byelaws process
The byelaw process, if carried out to completion, includes the following stages:
- Step 1
- Identification of issue and potential management measures.
- Step 2
- Gathering evidence from key stakeholders to draft an impact assessment analysing potential management measures. Identification of a Marine Management Organisation byelaw as the preferred option.
- Step 3
- A 12-week public consultation period on the impact assessment and draft byelaw.
- Step 4
- Review of public consultation.
- Step 5
- Formalisation of the byelaw and notification to stakeholders of our decision to go ahead with this option.
- Step 6
- Confirmation by the Secretary of State.
- Step 7
- Advertisement of the byelaw.
A permanent byelaw may take up to 12 months – from the issue being identified to the byelaw being implemented. Emergency byelaws can also be put in place if we consider there to be an urgent need to protect a feature of the site. An emergency byelaw must be replaced by a permanent byelaw after 12 months or revoked if it is no longer deemed necessary. Interim byelaws can also be created if there is an urgent need for protection and the area will be designated in the future as a protected site.
We can issue permits for activities in certain circumstances authorising anything which would otherwise be unlawful under the byelaw.
Please contact us for any queries or information relating to this process.
Contact information
Marine Conservation and Enforcement Team
Marine Management Organisation
PO Box 1275
Newcastle upon Tyne
NE99 5BN
Tel: 0191 376 2538/2677
Fax: 0191 376 2681
Email: conservation@
marinemanagement.org.uk
Further information
Byelaws: Questions and answers (PDF 94 KB)
Considering management options flowchart (PDF 51 KB)
These documents are in the portable document format (PDF) for downloading. Adobe Acrobat Reader can be freely downloaded from www.adobe.co.uk