Pilot Pentland Firth and Orkney Waters Marine Spatial Plan. Consultation Analysis and Modifications Report.
The Pentland Firth and Orkney Waters Marine Spatial Plan is a pilot process undertaken by a working group consisting of Marine Scotland, Orkney Islands Council and Highland Council in advance of statutory regional marine planning. This report presents an
9. General Policy 1B: Supporting sustainable social and economic benefits
9.1 Summary of responses received
| Stakeholder | Count |
|---|---|
| Commercial | 4 |
| Fisheries and aquaculture | 3 |
| Individual | 1 |
| Non-governmental organisation | 2 |
| Public sector | 3 |
| Recreation | 1 |
| TOTAL | 13 |
9.2 Main themes
9.2.1 The respondents were supportive of this policy and most stated that they welcomed the statements within the policy. The fisheries and aquaculture sector (two associations and one commercial stakeholder) specifically welcomed the policy and one noted the recognition of the complexity of the three dimensional marine environment.
9.2.2 Other respondents welcomed the statements in relation to support of local supply chains although concern was also expressed as to how this could be assessed. One public sector respondent noted that their local framework agreements supported the development of local businesses. Others noted the importance of safeguarding existing jobs and maximising opportunities for growth.
9.2.3 One respondent noted that there are already examples of e.g. the marine renewable sector benefiting the existing industries in the Orkney area. The example given was dive vessels being used as survey platforms around the islands for renewables.
9.2.4 There was some concern raised by the renewable industry that the basic requirements of a development need to remain commercially attractive and the wider project viability should be taken into account. A non-governmental organisation noted the need to progress with environmental limits should be acknowledged.
Table 9.1 General Policy 1B Supporting sustainable social and economic benefits - Table of suggested modifications
| No. | Suggested modification | Action taken | Reason |
|---|---|---|---|
| 102 | Add text in italics to Paragraph 123, Marine planning has an important role in enabling economic opportunities to be realised, supporting the achievement of national economic aspirations for growth without damaging the environment. | None. | Environmental protection is addressed in other relevant policies in the Plan. |
| 103 | Add word in italics to Paragraph 124: A key challenge for marine planning is to balance the aspirations and requirements of traditional marine industries ( e.g. commercial fishing, shipping, recreation and marine transport) and the emerging growth sectors such as marine renewable energy, marine tourism and aquaculture. | PARAGRAPH 124: Amended to 'A key challenge for marine planning is to balance the aspirations and requirements of traditional marine industries ( e.g. commercial fishing, shipping, recreation and marine transport) and growth sectors such as marine renewable energy, marine tourism and aquaculture '. | To take account of the recreation and marine tourism. |
| 104 | For General Policy 1B add the text in italics: Development and/or activities will be supported by this Plan when the proposal can demonstrate that they encompass the Ecosystem Approach. | None. | Issue addressed in General Policy 1C Safeguarding the marine ecosystem. |
| 105 | Clarification on how 'sustainable employment benefits' will be defined and assessed. | None. | Sustainable employment benefits from larger developments will be assessed through socio-economic impact assessments in Environmental Impact Assessment or stand-alone assessments as required. |
| 106 | More detail on how developers would demonstrate they had supported local supply chains and created local skilled employment in the local area. | None. | This would be part of the information included in the application and would be discussed with relevant authorities. |
| 107 | Acknowledge the need to progress within environmental limits. | None. | An overarching purpose of the Plan is to set out sustainable development objectives that respect environmental limits to ensure healthy and productive seas in the future. This is supported within Objective 5 and the sustainable development definition in Information Box 1. |
| 108 | Change emphasis of wording to acknowledge developments need to remain commercially attractive and maximising potential benefits should not be at the expense of the wider project viability. | None. | The commercial viability of a development is considered a prerequisite factor for the sustainable employment benefits highlighted in bullet point 1. |
| 109 | Strengthen policy wording in line with Para 2.2.1 from the UK Marine Policy Statement i.e. 'a key principle will be to promote compatibility and reduce conflict'. | None. | Reference to supporting co-existence between marine users within Objective 3 and General Policy 1A seeks to promote compatibility and reduce conflict. |
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