On 7 May representatives from the marine planning departments of England, Guernsey, Ireland, Jersey, Northern Ireland, the Isle of Man, Scotland, and Wales attended the Seven Nations Marine Planning Workshop, organised by the Marine Management Organisation (MMO).
The in-person workshop aimed to facilitate the exchange of ideas and best practices in marine planning processes, while identifying opportunities for cross-border collaboration at a technical level. This was the second session following the inaugural Six Nations in-person meeting held in March 2024, and focused on engagement processes within marine planning and enhancing cross-border cooperation.
Marine planning is devolved, each country in and bordering the UK has taken differing approaches and are at different timelines in plan development and planning cycles. Each governing body has distinct ministerial priorities and priority sectors, which pose significant barriers to marine plan alignment. Many marine industries work across borders and some resource areas do not align with borders, so there is the need for a joined-up approach.
The agenda included presentations from each participating country on:
- Country marine planning update
- Approaches to stakeholder engagement during marine plan development, including supplementary planning documents
- Best practices and lessons learned
- Future aims for stakeholder engagement
The workshop concluded by identifying key topics for further discussion and setting shared ambitions for future meetings workshops.
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