Statement of Public Participation for the English Marine Plans
Statement of public participation for the north east, north west, south, south east and south west marine plan areas
About the Statement of Public Participation
The Statement of Public Participation (SPP) sets out how and when we will engage with stakeholders during the marine planning process.
An SPP is required for each marine plan area under the Marine and Coastal Access Act 2009. It helps ensure that the marine planning process is transparent, and that stakeholders understand how they can be involved and can influence a marine plan’s development.
All draft SPPs are subject to public consultation before they are submitted to the Secretary of State for approval to publish under Schedule 6 of the Marine and Coastal Access Act 2009. The publication of an SPP formally commences the start of the marine planning process in the relevant marine plan area.
If an SPP is amended during the marine planning process, any revisions must be approved by the Secretary of State before being published
Principles of engagement
SPPs following our principles of engagement. These are:
We will:
- involve people early on in the marine planning process and in developing policy within the framework provided by the Marine Policy Statement
- engage with interested people and organisations at the appropriate time using effective engagement methods and allowing sufficient time for meaningful consultation
- be adaptable, recognising that different consultation methods work for different people and that a “one size fits all” approach will not work
- respect the diversity of people and their lifestyles and give people a fair chance to have their voice heard regardless of gender, age, race, abilities, sexual orientation, circumstances or where they live
- be clear in the purpose and timing of any engagement, and how you may contribute
- let people know how their views have been taken into account within agreed timescales
- make documents publicly available on our website
- communicate clearly with people using plain English and avoiding jargon and acronyms as much as possible
Engagement channels and activities
We use a range of methods to engage and communicate with stakeholders at each stage of the marine planning process. These include, but are not limited to:
| Face to face | Digital | Direct |
|---|---|---|
| meetings | gov.uk website | |
| bespoke workshops | social media | newsletters |
| consultation events | webinars | questionnaires |
| stakeholder events | videos / animations | consultations |
| blogs | ||
| Explore Marine Plans |
We recognise that not all these channels will be appropriate to all stakeholders, so will always use a mix of these to ensure engagement is inclusive and accessible. All activity will meet government accessibility standards, including plain English.
Interest groups
Marine plans are for anyone who has an interest in the marine plan areas, and are relevant to a wide range of stakeholders. We are committed to engaging with representatives from a wide range of interest groups. This includes:
- academic institutes
- aquaculture
- bordering nations and administrations
- cabling
- coastal change, flood and coastal erosion risk management
- defence and national security
- ecology and biodiversity
- energy production
- fisheries
- government departments
- historic environment
- infrastructure development
- land and seabed owners and managers
- local communities and elected members
- local councils and other public authorities
- marine aggregates
- marine conservation
- marine dredging and disposal
- non-governmental organisations
- partnerships and interest groups
- ports and shipping
- seascape and landscape
- telecommunications and cabling
- tourism and recreation
- waste water treatment and disposal
Our stakeholders
In addition to interest groups there are a number of sectors which have a specific interest the marine planning process. These sectors have an important role in development marine plans and we are committed to engaging with representatives from each of these sectors. They include:
Bordering nations and administrations:
English marine plans must take account of relevant policies and developing marine plans of bordering nations. This includes Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland as well as the neighboring member states Denmark, France, Germany, Ireland, Netherlands and Norway. They also take account of the British Crown dependencies of Isle of Man and the Channel Islands.
Coastal partnerships
Coastal partnerships and fora represent a wide range of interests and expertise. They are varied in nature and geographic coverage, but all play an important role in the integration and management of actions and activities at the coast.
Delivery partners
Delivery partners are important to the development and implementation of marine plans. In particular they can provide data, expert knowledge and local information. They include:
- Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science
- Historic England
- Historic Environment Scotland
- Harbour authorities
- Inshore Fisheries and Conservation Authorities
- Joint Nature Conservation Committee
- Maritime and Coastguard Agency
- Natural England
- National Infrastructure Directorate of the Planning Inspectorate
- Scottish Environment Protection Agency
- Scottish Natural Heritage
- The Crown Estate
- The Environment Agency
Local communities, local interest groups and the general public
Local communities and interest groups have a wealth of local knowledge, essential to developing responsive and meaningful marine plans.
Government departments
Government departments play an important role in the development of marine plans and they will be engaged throughout the marine planning process.
A cross-government programme board provides advice and support to the MMO in the development of marine plans. It includes representatives from the following departments, and The Crown Estate: * Department for the Environment Food and Rural Affairs * Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy * Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government * Department for Transport * Ministry of Defence
We will also engage with other departments with an interest in marine planning, including: * Department for Business, Innovation and Skills * Department for Culture, Media and Sport * Department for Work and Pensions
Industry representative groups
Industry groups represent a number of sectors, such as fisheries, aggregates and renewable energy. They are an essential link to industry and are able to voice issues and opportunities that marine planning should consider.
Local authorities and other public authorities
Local and public authorities involvement is an essential part of developing marine plans. Marine planning has important links and interactions with land-use planning. It is important that marine plans can be applied within existing planning systems and are integrated with relevant plans within local development frameworks, Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty plans and other plans such as river basin management plans, shoreline management plans.
Elected Members also play an important part, representing the interests of their local communities.
Non-governmental organisations
The third sector, including non-governmental organisations (NGOs), has significant experience in ensuring that conservation and environmental sustainability is represented in planning decisions. They represent a wide range of interests groups and individuals and include organisations such as the Wildlife and Countryside Link, Royal Society of the Protection of Birds, WWF-UK.
Opportunity for all
As we progress through the marine planning process, we will continually identify new stakeholders and interested individuals taking into account their interests and views during the planning process. If you or your organisation would like to get involved, please email planning@marinemanagement.org.uk to be added to our distribution list.
Statements of Public Participation
Statements of Public Participation for the English marine plan areas
Updates to this page
Published 14 July 2016Last updated 10 January 2020 + show all updates
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