Scottish Crown Estate draft strategic management plan: consultation analysis

Section 8

Final Comments

Question 19:

Do you have any other comments or suggestions on the draft Plan that you feel have not been covered by this consultation?

Some respondents took the opportunity to provide comments or suggestions on the Plan that they felt were not covered by the consultation. Below, we provide a summary of the common themes that emerged from the feedback.

A number of respondents commented that the Plan was comprehensive and/or restated previous comments around their support for different aspects of the Plan. This ranged from comments that welcomed the positive vision to the focus on sustainability, and from support for the various objectives and priorities articulated in the Plan, to confirmation that the opportunities to contribute to sustainable development were appropriate to the Scottish Crown Estate (i.e. social, environmental, economic wellbeing and regeneration). These points were highlighted by local authorities, enterprise or coastal management bodies, natural heritage/conservation bodies, and others.

Others (e.g. enterprise or coastal management bodies, local authorities) highlighted the importance of the wide-ranging asset portfolio given its links to key sectors of the economy, welcomed recognition within the Plan of the benefits of local control, management or enhanced input to decision-making, commended the fact that an Islands Community Impact Assessment had been undertaken, or confirmed that the ambition and priorities chimed with their own organisations (e.g. creating the right conditions for growth, developing successful, productive and resilient businesses and creating strong, capable and resourceful communities).

A couple of respondents (e.g. enterprise or coastal management body, local authority) highlighted, however, that it would be important for the Plan to make greater reference to, and have more comprehensive inclusion of, the Community Empowerment Act and the Islands (Scotland) Act 2018.

A couple of respondents (enterprise or coastal management bodies) sought further information and detail regarding how island communities had been consulted on the Plan. It was felt that an opportunity might have been missed to secure broader feedback from communities in helping to inform and shape the Plan – this would have "underlined Crown Estate Scotland's commitment to empowering island communities".

Other respondents, including enterprise or coastal management bodies and local authorities, were now more concerned with the practicalities, including attaching particular importance to how the Plan would be implemented on the ground. Here, a range of comments were provided, including support for a flexible approach to be adopted, and that decisions on sustainability would be unique to each asset, and support for the principle of charging less than market value. Others re-emphasised the opportunity the Plan would provide for greater levels of partnership working and collaboration in the pursuit of sustainable development goals, including consideration of new models and approaches.