MMO  Monitoring Marine Plans  ‘Background and purpose

1. Marine planning guides decision making in the marine area, making sure the right activities are carried out in the right place and at the right time. It enables sustainable economic growth while protecting the natural and historic environment, recognising the needs of all.
2. Marine plans form a part of the government’s long-term vision for the environment, providing confidence for decisions in the marine area. They support transparent and streamlined decision making, providing certainty for developers, while safeguarding the environment. For marine developments, marine plans will reduce the time from concept to consent, helping to operationalise investments sooner so they can make an earlier contribution to the economy.
3. There are 6 marine plans covering 11 marine plan areas for England and national plans for Scotland and Wales. The plan for Northern Ireland will be published in due course.
4. The South Marine Plan (the plan) was adopted in July 2018. It covers the inshore and offshore marine plan areas from Folkestone in Kent to the river Dart in Devon and to the international boundary with France and the Channel Islands. It is one of the busiest shipping channels in the world, as well as hosting almost two thirds of Royal Navy ships at Portsmouth. This activity takes place alongside more than 50 marine protected areas, including 31 marine conservation zones and a United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) world heritage site. It is one of the most complex and used areas of the English coastline.
5. The plan includes 12 plan objectives supported by 53 plan policies which helps to deliver the government’s vision and high level marine objectives (HLMOs). As with all marine plans, the plan will be kept under review and reports will be published every 3 years following adoption. The review assesses the effectiveness and effects of the plan policies and the wider changes in context since adopted.
6. This is the first report on the plan but there is a full technical report on GOV.UK for more information.

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