Defra – MMO  ‘Introduction This is the second six-year report, updating on progress with marine plans in England. The first was published on 5 November 2015 covering the period 2009 to 2015. It fulfils a reporting requirement set out in Section 61(1)(c) of the Marine and Coastal Access Act 2009, (the Act). Marine plans provide a transparent framework for consistent, evidence based decision making for potential investors and marine users. The Act divides the UK marine area into inshore and offshore marine planning regions for England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales. In England, the inshore and offshore marine planning regions are subdivided into marine plan areas, as detailed in the map in Annex A. Section 61 of the Act requires each marine plan authority, for England’s inshore and offshore marine planning regions this is the Secretary of State, to prepare and lay before the appropriate legislature a report setting out progress on the relevant marine plans, including detail of: • any marine plans the authority has prepared and adopted • the authority’s intentions for their amendment • its intentions for the preparation and adoption of any further marine plans

Marine plans prepared and adopted The first six-year report (November 2015) documented the publication of the East Inshore and East Offshore Marine Plans (the East Marine Plans) on 2 April 2014. Since then, the following marine plans have been prepared and adopted: • South Inshore and South Offshore Marine Plan (the South Marine Plan) – 17 July 2018 • North East Inshore and North East Offshore Marine Plans – 23 June 2021 • North West Inshore and North West Offshore Marine Plans – 23 June 2021 • South West Inshore and South West Offshore Marine Plans – 23 June 2021 • South East Inshore Marine Plan – 23 June 2021 The publication of these marine plans means that for the first time there is a marine plan in place for each marine plan area around England, a combined area of approximately 230,000 square kilometres.’

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