{"id":4959,"date":"2016-03-22T13:46:56","date_gmt":"2016-03-22T13:46:56","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blogs.scotland.gov.uk\/coastal-monitoring\/?p=4959"},"modified":"2016-08-17T14:07:48","modified_gmt":"2016-08-17T13:07:48","slug":"pilot-pentland-firth-and-orkney-waters-marine-spatial-plan-approved","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.gov.scot\/marine-scotland\/2016\/03\/22\/pilot-pentland-firth-and-orkney-waters-marine-spatial-plan-approved\/","title":{"rendered":"Pilot Pentland Firth and Orkney Waters Marine Spatial Plan approved"},"content":{"rendered":"

The pilot Pentland Firth and Orkney Waters Marine Spatial Plan has now been finalised following endorsement by Orkney Islands Council and the Highland Council and ministerial approval.<\/p>\n

Now the Plan has been approved it will be used by the Marine Scotland Licensing Operations Team as a material consideration in the determination of marine licensing and section 36 consent applications within the PFOW area.<\/p>\n

The Highland Council and Orkney Islands Council have adopted the pilot Plan as non-statutory planning guidance, acknowledging the status of the Plan as a material consideration in the determination of relevant planning applications. Orkney Islands Council has also adopted the Plan as a material consideration in the determination of works licence applications in the Orkney Harbour Area.<\/p>\n

What will happen now?<\/strong><\/p>\n

All these documents will be available to future Marine Planning Partnerships to help inform the development of\u00a0 statutory Regional Marine Plans. The working group will also monitor how the pilot Plan is used to support marine licensing, works licence and planning decisions within their respective organisations.<\/p>\n

It is likely that development of the Orkney statutory Regional Marine Plan will proceed before the North Coast and will be led by Orkney Islands Council. During 2016, Orkney Islands Council will engage with Marine Scotland, Elected Members and wider stakeholders to canvas views on the future delivery of statutory regional marine planning in Orkney. In the meantime, the statutory National Marine Plan and the non-statutory pilot PFOW plan can be used by regulators and wider stakeholders interested in projects or activities in Orkney and the north Caithness and Sutherland coast.<\/p>\n

And finally\u2026.<\/strong><\/p>\n

The working group would like to take this opportunity to thank everyone who has contributed to the development of the Plan. This work would not have been possible without the input we have received from a wide range of knowledgeable people. We will continue to keep you informed of any developments over the coming months.<\/p>\n

Further Information<\/strong><\/p>\n

The Plan and all the associated documents are available on the Pentland Firth and Orkney Waters Marine Spatial Plan website<\/a><\/p>\n

The most recently added documents added are:<\/p>\n