Shetland Marine Spatial Plan

A public consultation on the 3rd Edition of the Draft Shetland Marine Spatial Plan has begun today and will run until 14 June 2010.

The Plan which has benefited from extensive consultation with a wide range of stakeholders since the project began in 2006, including a public consultation and trial implementation, brings together authoritative spatial data on the marine and coastal environment and its various uses. 

The Plan sets out how responsible authorities and public bodies will work together to improve the management of the marine and coastal environment to deliver sustainable economic growth now and for future generations; it establishes an overarching policy framework to guide the placement of activity, from marine renewable energy to aquaculture.

The full Plan and Strategic Environmental Assessment documents can be found on their website at: http://www.nafc.ac.uk/SSMEI.aspx.

The Plan aims to deliver the key benefits of:

• Providing a plan-led approach to the management of the sea around Shetland facilitating a more integrated and better informed decision making process regarding the future distribution of use of space and resources
• Enabling long-term protection and use of the marine environment

A number of local events are being organized to give interested parties the chance to discuss the Draft Marine Spatial Plan with the SSMEI project team prior to responding to the consultation.

According to Lorraine Gray, the SSMEI Project Officer, the feedback of a wide range of stakeholders who have worked with the Scottish Sustainable Marine Environment Initiative (SSMEI) over the last few years, including business representatives, public bodies, voluntary organizations and individuals with an interest in the marine and coastal environment has been a crucial to this work to date.

Hard copy requests, responses and any questions about the consultation should be directed to :

Dr Lorraine Gray
SSMEI Project Officer
NAFC Marine Centre
Port Arthur
Scalloway
Shetland
ZE1 0UN
Tel: +44 (0) 1595 772000
DDI: +44 (0) 1595 772332
Fax: 01595 772011
Email: Lorraine.Gray@nafc.uhi.ac.uk
www.nafc.ac.uk

Category: Other Organisations