Marine Planning in Pentland Firth and Orkney Waters

James Green

Development and Marine Planning

Orkney Islands Council

SuperGen Doctoral Training Programme

Getting to Grips with the Marine Environment ‐ II Heriot‐Watt University

June 2014

Content

• Brief introduction to marine planning

• Pilot Pentland Firth and Orkney Waters

Marine Spatial Plan

• Land use planning and marine

infrastructure

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).

Why develop a plan? • 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

• Monitoring and adaption

Marine Planning in Scotland

• Marine (Scotland) Act 2010

- National marine plan and atlas

- Regional marine plans

- Provision for Marine Planning

Partnerships

- Licensing

- Marine Protected Areas

‘A public authority must take any authorisation

or enforcement decision in accordance with the

appropriate marine plans, unless relevant

considerations indicate otherwise’ Section 15(1).

Pilot Pentland Firth and Orkney Waters Marine

Spatial Plan

www.scotland.gov.uk/Topics/marine/seamanagement/regional/pentlandorkney

The plan area

The plan area

Pilot Pentland Firth and Orkney Waters Marine

Spatial Plan

Pilot Pentland Firth and Orkney Waters Marine

Spatial Plan

Working Group

• Marine Scotland (Lead)

• Highland Council

• Orkney Islands 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 For example:

• Local communities;

• Commercial fisheries;

• Marine renewables;

• Aquaculture; and

• Recreational interests.

How is the plan being

delivered?

Working

Group

Advisory

Group

Stakeholders

Stakeholders

Stakeholders

Orkney

Local

Communities

Caithness

and

Sutherland

Local

Communities

Pilot Pentland Firth and Orkney Waters Marine

Spatial Plan

Pilot Pentland Firth and Orkney Waters Marine

Spatial Plan • Set out the plan making process for consultation,

November 2012 Plan Scheme

• Stakeholder Events in July 2013

• Included draft Environmental Report

Planning Issues and Options

• Responded to stakeholder contributions

• Outlines Working Group actions for drafting the plan

Consultation Analysis and Report

• Structured discussion to develop policies

• Will take place from July to the end of 2014

Stakeholder Focus Groups

• Formal 12 week consultation (Start 2015) Draft Marine Spatial

Plan

• Will include Post Adoption Statement and HRA, 2015 Final Plan and

associated documents

• Lessons learned

• Review of pilot process Review

Pilot Pentland Firth and Orkney Waters Marine

Spatial Plan

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

or as Supplementary Guidance to the appropriate Local

Development Plan

Pilot Pentland Firth and Orkney Waters

Marine Spatial Plan

The status of the plan

• Local Development Plans and planning guidance

• Masterplanning and Development Briefs

• Investment in port and harbour infrastructure

Land use planning and marine infrastructure

Land use planning

• Overlap with marine plans across the

intertidal zone

• Local Development Plans and the

coastal zone

• Integrating land based and marine

development

• The aquaculture anomaly

Masterplanning and Development Briefs

• Coordinate development and

infrastructure

• Engage businesses and end users

• Identifies environmental constraints /

sensitivities

• Developer contributions and funding

Hatston

Stromness

Lyness

Port and harbour investment

Lyness Hoy

Lyness

• Marine renewables (O&M), aquaculture, heritage

• Land in Council ownership

• Enterprise Area

• £2.97m investment to upgrade the wharf (OIC and ERDF)

• Over 300,000 sq.m. of lay down areas available adjacent to quay edge

• Sheltered deep water anchorage within Scapa Flow

• HIE Engineering hubs in planning

• Regular connectivity to Orkney Mainland

Hatston Pier, Kirkwall

• Ferry terminal, cruise ships, marine renewables

• Council owned land and Enterprise Area

• £8 million to extend the pier (OIC and ERDF)

• Accommodate vessels up to 385 meters LOA and 10.5

meter drafts

• Support marine renewables in the North Isles

• Regular connectivity to Aberdeen (Sea) and UK (Air)

Hatston, Kirkwall

Copland's Dock Stromness

Copland's Dock Stromness

• Council land

• Ten hectares of laydown land

• Total quay edge of 337 meters

• £10.6m jointly funded by OIC, ERDF and Scottish

Government

• Renewables support vessels, aquaculture, fishing vessels

and freight

• Access to sheltered waters in Scapa Flow

Marine Planning – A Council Perspective

James Green

Development and Marine Planning

Orkney Islands Council

james.green@orkney.gov.uk