Mel Nicholls, Senior Marine Planner, outlines the revisions
We believe it is important that people have opportunities to input to the development of the marine plans for the areas in which they live, work or have an interest. The Statement of Public Participation (SPP) for the South Marine Plans describes how and when the Marine Management Organisation will provide these opportunities and what we will do with the views and opinions expressed.
The South Area SPP was first published in April 2013, but for reasons outlined below it has now become necessary to update it.
The principal reason for a revision is that the timeline outlined in the original SPP has had to be revised. The need to prioritise work to secure adoption of England’s first marine plans (for the East) led to delays, which overlapped the South marine planning process. Furthermore, it was essential to take the opportunity to reflect on the lessons learned from the East Area marine planning process, and from the South Area to date, and use these to inform development of the South Area process.
As a consequence it is appropriate to adjust the timeframe contained within the South Area SPP to clearly outline for stakeholders the timings of the various phases of activity up to plan adoption. The consultation on Options for the South Area Marine Plans was launched on 3 February and will run until 4 March 2015. Details of the Options report can be found at the link.
We have also clarified that the details for stakeholder engagement for the “Implementation, Monitoring and Review” phases will be held in other documents than the SPP such as the Implementation and Monitoring Plan. The SPP is wholly concerned with plan production up to adoption by the Secretary of State.
The revised South Area SPP can be viewed at the link.
Information on the Marine Management Organisation (MMO) can be accessed online:
Website: www.gov.uk/mmo
Twitter: @the_MMO
Facebook: /MarineManagementOrganisation
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