The Climate Change, Environment and Infrastructure Committee (‘the Committee’) has undertaken a ‘snapshot’ assessment of marine environment management. Its report on the Welsh Government’s marine policies will be debated in Plenary on 18 May, 2022.

This article gives a brief overview of the issues covered by the Committee.

Marine planning

Offshore development, particularly renewable energy, in Welsh seas is rapidly expanding. The Welsh Government has stated that:

Effective marine planning for, and regulation of, new development is crucial to enabling sustainable marine sector growth,

However, stakeholders say the Welsh National Marine Plan (WNMP) is not currently fit for this purpose, as it lacks a “spatial component or development control policies”, and therefore doesn’t consider the cumulative impacts of developments.

Marine renewable energy

The Welsh Government has committed to support innovation in new renewable energy technology, and stakeholders say this will be pivotal for a green economic recovery. Wales’ marine environment provides a wealth of renewable energy opportunities

Using the seabed

The Crown Estate awards the rights to use the seabed through a leasing process. Our recent article, who owns the seabed, and why it matters, examines the Crown Estate’s role in developing Welsh marine renewables.

The Co-operation Agreement supports the devolution of the management of the Crown Estate and its assets in Wales. The Welsh Government has committed to meeting with the Crown Estate, where a technical paper, looking at the implications of devolution, would be considered.

Consenting and licensing

The consent process, and the consenting authority for marine renewable energy projects differs according to both the scale of the energy project, and the legislation that applies. Stakeholders told the Committee that the consenting process is “slow” and “onerous”.

The Snapshot also covers topics including Evidence gaps and gathering, Marine Protected Areas, Assessing Welsh Fishing Activities and Blue carbon.

The full snapshot can be read here.