Coastal and marine planning
– An integrated approach
James Green
Development and Marine Planning
Orkney Islands Council
Orkney Local Development Plan
Main Issues Report Consultation Event
24 July 2015

Content
 Brief overview of coastal and marine planning
 Marine planning in Orkney
 The coastal and marine environment
- a main issue

What are we planning for?
 Land and sea are critical to everyday life in Orkney
– transport, jobs, recreation and energy
 To protect the environment on which we
depend
 To support sustainable development opportunities
 To striking a balance between new socio-economic
opportunities and safeguarding existing resources
and activities
 To coordinate marine and land based development

What is marine spatial planning?
‘Marine spatial planning is a public process of analysing and
allocating the spatial and temporal distribution of human activities
in marine areas to achieve ecological, economic, and social
objectives that usually have been specified through a political
process’ (UNESCO).

Marine Planning in Scotland
‘A public authority must take any authorisation
or enforcement decision in accordance with the
appropriate marine plans, unless relevant
considerations indicate otherwise’.
Regional Marine Plans
National Marine Plan
Marine (Scotland) Act 2010

Pilot Pentland Firth and Orkney Waters
Marine Spatial Plan

How is the Plan being delivered?
Working Group
• Marine Scotland
• Orkney Islands Council
• Highland Council
Advisory Group
• Scottish Natural
Heritage
• Scottish Environment
Protection Agency
• Historic Scotland
• Highlands and Islands
Enterprise
• Orkney Harbour
Authority
• Scrabster Harbour Trust
• Royal Yachting
Association
Stakeholders e.g.
• Local communities
• Commercial fisheries
• Marine renewables
• Aquaculture
• Environmental interests
• Recreational interests

Why develop a marine spatial plan?
• Support sustainable development
• Strategic vision and spatial strategy
• Promote efficient use of space
• Stakeholder knowledge and buy-in
• Engage local communities
• Build consensus and find common ground
• Provide greater certainty for developers
• Reduce risk in the licensing process
• Introduce monitoring and adaption

The plan area
The plan area

The plan making process
Marine
Scotland
started
process
Orkney
Islands and
Highland
councils
join project
Planning
Issues and
Options
consultation
Draft Plan
and further
consultation
Final Plan
and Lessons
Learned
2008 -
2011
2012 2013 2014/15
Early
2016

General Policies
Sustainable development Geodiversity
Supporting sustainable social and
economic benefits
Water environment
Safeguarding the marine environment Coastal processes and flooding
The well-being, quality of life and amenity
of coastal communities
Historic environment
Climate change Integrating coastal and marine
development
Nature conservation designations Noise
Protected species Waste and marine litter
Wider biodiversity Invasive non-native species
Landscape and seascape

Sectoral Policies
Commercial fisheries
Aquaculture
Oil and gas
Renewable energy generation
Recreation, sport, leisure and tourism
Marine transport
Ports and harbours
Pipelines, electricity and telecommunications infrastructure
Marine aggregates
Defence

The PFOW marine spatial plan is non statutory and, if approved by Scottish
Ministers, will be:
• A material consideration in the determination of marine
licensing, works licenses and Section 36 applications
• Can be adopted as Planning Policy Advice – Material consideration in
land use planning decisions
Pilot Pentland Firth and Orkney
Waters Marine Spatial Plan
The status of the plan

 Respond to the current consultation by 6th September:
https://consult.scotland.gov.uk/marine-scotland/pfowmarinespatialplan
 Take a look at the Plan website:
www.gov.scot/PFOWmarinespatialplan
 Get in touch:
PFOWmarinespatialplan@scotland.gsi.gov.uk
James Green, OIC Development and Marine Planning, james.green@orkney.gov.uk
Pilot Pentland Firth and Orkney Waters
Marine Spatial Plan – Further Information

Orkney Regional Marine Plan
 Scottish Government intend to formally delegate
statutory regional marine planning powers to an Orkney
Marine Planning Partnership in 2016
 The first task will be establish appropriate governance
arrangements
 It is intended that the pilot marine spatial plan will
establish a useful basis for the Regional Marine Plan

Orkney Local Development Plan
Main Issue – Coastal and Marine Environment
 Ensuring an integrated and consistent approach to
terrestrial and marine planning policy
 Supporting projects that have land based and marine
components
 Steering coastal development to appropriate locations
 Coastal erosion and coastal inundation

Ensuring an integrated and consistent approach to
land use and marine planning policy
 Planning authority taking a lead role in land use and
marine plan making process to assist integration
 Aligning both processes – consultation, review etc
 Reduce duplication and stakeholder fatigue
Main Issues Report - Preferred option:
 Adopt the Marine Spatial Plan as Planning
Policy Advice

• Land allocations to the support growth
of marine sectors
• Coordinate development and infrastructure
• Engage businesses and end users
• Identifies environmental constraints /
sensitivities
• Developer contributions and funding
Supporting projects that have land based and
marine components

Steering coastal development to appropriate
locations
Preferred option:
 Steer developments that require a coastal location to areas
of developed coast in land allocations within settlements
 Unless there is a demonstrable need for a coastal location in
the countryside
 Adequate protection of the coast in existing plan policies
Alternative option:
 Identify a coastal zone and areas suitable for further
development, areas of significant constraint and areas
unsuitable for development

Coastal erosion and coastal inundation
Preferred approach:
 Policy to support the use of SEPA flood maps to identify areas at risk of
coastal inundation and flooding to guide the location of future
development;
 Establish a policy presumption in favour of flood alleviation measures
identified in the Flood Risk Management Plan
 Develop a policy to address coastal erosion impacts on property,
infrastructure and archaeology

Thank You
James Green
Development and Marine Planning
Orkney Islands Council
james.green@orkney.gov.uk
01856 873535 ext 2804