On behalf of Historic England I would like to invite you to participate in a consultation to inform you, and obtain your views on, an ongoing project to increase the understanding of how the management of Marine Conservation Zones (MCZs) could affect historic environment activities, or projects carried out within MCZs. The project also seeks to identify what action will need to be taken to ensure that activities Historic England support, carry out or commission in MCZs are compatible with the conservation objectives of the MCZ. This project will support Historic England in fulfilling its duties under the Marine and Coastal Access Act 2009.

The working paper (including appendices) for this project is the key consultation document setting out our initial thoughts on the issues under consideration and outlining a preliminary assessment methodology. The consultation period provides an opportunity to explore and comment on this paper before production of the final report.   Historic England would welcome any comments you may have on the attached paper.  Please provide any responses to this consultation to Erin Snaith (erin.snaith@marineplanning.org.uk) and Antony Firth (ajfirth@fjordr.com). We would appreciate your response by 26th May 2017.