The Marine and Coastal Access Bill

A New Framework for the SeasJOHN CLORLEY – MARINE CONSERVATION ZONE PROJECT DIRECTOR

Provisions in the Bill

• Marine planning

• Improved marine licensing

• New nature conservation powers

• Improved enforcement powers

• A new Marine Management Organisation

• Improved inshore fisheries management

• Migratory and freshwater fish measures

• Coastal access

Marine objectives

Marine policy statement

Marine plans

Licensing decisions

Planning and Licensing: how it will work

How Marine Planning will be delivered

Stage 1 - UK Marine Policy Statement (MPS)• Shared statement of UK marine policy

• Jointly agreed and adopted by all UK administrations

• Articulates UK objectives and priorities for sustainable development of the seas

• Brings together all UK policies which impact on marine environment and its resources (including on marine heritage)

Stage 2 - Series of marine plans• Prepared by the new MMO, or other planning authority (for devolved

administrations)

• Looks at all activities, resources and needs of an area

• Sets out how the policies, objectives and priorities in the UK MPS should be applied to that area

• Guides decisions on licence applications, other decisions by public bodies, and to inform stakeholders

• Helps engage people in the importance of the marine environment

Marine licensing: objectives

• Clearer, simpler, streamlined core marine licensing• Support for marine planning and holistic decision-

making • More effective enforcement tools• Modernising and consolidating FEPA and CPA• Treating licensing for all forms of dredging activities

equally• Simplifying the consenting of small-scale

renewables and harbour developments• Main element of the Bill for regulating impact of

human activity on marine area

Marine licensing: modernising enforcement

Aim of licensing enforcement is to prevent environmental damage, but where damage has been caused, for the offender to remedy that harm.

•Modernised, effective, enforcement powers - consolidated powers available to enforcement officers across fisheries, licensing and nature conservation to give teeth to the provisions in the Bill.

•New flexible and proportionate enforcement tools to encourage compliance with the legislation.

•A range of sanctions will be available for licensing offences - from statutory notices to monetary penalties.

•A scheme of civil sanctions fills the gap in the current legislation so that all scales of offence can be dealt with effectively.

Marine Management Organisation

• The Government’s marine delivery body

• The MMO will bring functions together in one body:

Marine planning, marine licensing, fisheries

management, nature conservation and enforcement

• The MMO will have an HQ and a series of coastal

offices.

Modernising Marine Fisheries Management

The marine fisheries proposals in the Bill will deliver…

• Strengthened fisheries and environmental management so that more effective action can be taken to conserve marine ecosystems and help achieve a sustainable and profitable fisheries sector.

• In particular, the Bill will:

• Reform inshore fisheries management arrangements in England

• Strengthen enforcement officers powers, including new powers to tackle illegal, unregulated and unreported fishing on the high seas

• Enable some costs of fisheries management to be shared with the industry more flexibly than is currently possible

• Strengthen the operation and management of shellfisheries.

Coastal access

What will the Bill deliver?

A coastal margin which will include:

A coastal route• People will be able to walk along whole coast of England, subject to some

exceptions (developed land, MoD land, estuaries)

• The route will be future proofed, able to move back as the coastline erodes

Areas of coastal access land• People will have access to beaches, cliff tops, dunes, so that they can play and

picnic and swim and explore.

Without the bill: We would have to rely on the current patchwork of legal and permissive access, where even the South West coastpath (seen as the exemplar) has significant inland diversions at points.

Marine Conservation Zones

• A new site-based conservation tool

• MCZs will complement European marine sites - to form a network of marine protected areas by 2012

• Ministers to designate MCZs, set the conservation objectives for each one, and level of protection

• Supported by placing duties on public authorities to exercise their functions in a way that furthers the conservation objectives of MCZs, or does least harm

Marine Conservation Zone Project

• Delivered through four

regional projects;

• Placing stakeholders

centrally in the decision

making process;

• Process to be

transparent;

• Guidance to be produced

to assist regional projects

to identify sites.

Selection of MCZs

• The Aim is to create the network.

• However, can take account of socio-economic implications in proposing sites as long as this does not undermine the establishment of the network;

• Regional projects, through the Science Advisory Panel , will submit recommendations to Natural England and JNCC.

• Natural England and JNCC will provide their advice on the proposals;

• Ministers will consider, and consult on proposed MCZs. Desigantion should be complete before end 2012

• Ministers will attach great weight to recommendations from regional projects – especially where they enjoy broad stakeholder support