Marine

Marine Licensing: Pre-Application Process Study commissioned

May 6, 2014 by Marine Scotland Communications No Comments | Category Marine Directorate general, Marine Directorate Science, Marine Renewables

Marine Scotland Licensing Operations Team (MS-LOT) has commissioned Natural Capital to conduct a study to review the pre-application process for marine licensing. The aim is to have a more effective and efficient process that could save time and reduce the risk of delays in the determination of marine licences, and ultimately could be advantageous to the Scottish economy.

The primary focus of the study is on the pre-application processes associated with more complex marine licences which generally require EIA and HRA (for example, Section 36 applications).

Natural Capital, an environmental and sustainability consultancy that specialises in stakeholder engagement and workshop led research, is facilitating the study in partnership with Marine Scotland staff. Two workshops have been held, one with internal Marine Scotland staff and a second with external statutory consultees. The interactive workshops have explored some key questions:

• Where in the pre-application process can problems arise and why?
• What works well?
• How can things be improved?
• What tools might be useful to all involved?

The study outputs will include recommendations for actions to be implemented and specific guidance. Tools will be developed to guide important interactions between Marine Scotland, developers and consultees at all the key stages of the pre-application process.

These outputs will contribute to Marine Scotland’s Through Life Licensing Strategy by seeking to ensure any applications submitted are suitable in quality and content prior to being accepted by MS-LOT for determination.

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