Pilot Pentland Firth and Orkney Waters Marine Spatial Plan. Business and Regulatory Impact Assessment.

7. Implementation and delivery plan

7.1 Work on developing the PFOW MSP started in April 2012 as part of a three stage process that started in 2009. Once approved the pilot Plan will be used as a material consideration in the determination of marine licensing and section 36 consent applications within the Pentland Firth and Orkney Waters area. Highland Council and Orkney Islands Council will have the option to adopt the final 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 will also be provided with the option to approve the Plan as a material consideration in the determination of works licence applications. It is likely that this PFOW MSP will be used as the basis for the statutory regional marine plans in the Orkney and North Coast Scottish Marine Regions. Once these statutory regional plans are in place they will be the way in which marine planning in these areas is implemented.

• Post-implementation review

Marine Scotland, Orkney Islands Council and Highland Council intend to put in place a system to monitor how the Plan is used by the Marine Scotland's Licensing Operations Team and by the councils when determining planning applications. The results of this monitoring will be used to inform the development of statutory regional marine plans. The need for a post-implementation review will cease once these statutory plans are in place.