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
17. General Policy 4E: Geodiversity
17.1 Summary of responses received
| Stakeholder | Count |
|---|---|
| Commercial | 1 |
| Fisheries and aquaculture | 1 |
| Individual | 0 |
| Non-governmental organisation | 0 |
| Public sector | 3 |
| Recreation | 1 |
| TOTAL | 6 |
17.2 Main themes
17.2.1 The majority of the responses were in relation to wording of the policy and suggested changes to Map 7. One fisheries stakeholder noted that Map 8 could be useful as a predictive map of where commercial fishing stocks are likely to be found.
17.2.2 One renewable energy stakeholder felt the wording in the first part of the policy affords all geodiversity interests the same level of protection from international to local and the second part set a requirement beyond that of Environmental Impact Assessment legislation. This stakeholder felt there should be a tiered approach to 'importance' and that the second part of the policy be removed or revised.
Table 17.1 General Policy 4E Geodiversity - Table of suggested modifications
| No. | Suggested modification | Action taken | Reason |
|---|---|---|---|
| 172 | Para. 208. Reword to '..freshwater lake and is therefore particularly…'. | PARAGRAPH 208: Amended to '….vast freshwater lake and it therefore particularly…'. | To amend typing mistakes as highlighted. |
| 173 | Para. 210. Insert 'as' at end of the line. | PARAGRAPH 210: 'as' inserted at the end of first line. | To amend typing mistakes as highlighted. |
| 174 | Correct references to ' NW Sutherland Geodiversity Park' and the North West Highland Geodiversity Park' to the correct name i.e. North West Highlands Geopark. | INFORMATION BOX 11 and PARAGRAPH 209: Text amended to refer to 'North West Highlands Geopark'. | To amend typing mistakes as highlighted. |
| 175 | Suggest maps show the Marine Protected Areas that include geological interests, 'coastal' SSSIs that are designated for geological interest and the 'coastal' Geological Coastal review ( GCR) sites that have not been designated SSSI. Link provided to site and offer of shape file. | Shapefiles to be added to NMPi if compatible and link added to 'Further Information' section. PARAGRAPH 208: Text added to end of paragraph 'A number of designated sites such as MPAs, SSSIs and GCRs include geological interests (see Map 3 and NMPi)'. |
For clarity. The maps provided are a good baseline: subsequent Marine Planning Partnerships may be able to include the level of detail requested but these data may also be found on NMPi. |
| 176 | Remove or revise the second part of the policy text to reflect Environmental Impact Assessment legislation. | None. | Significant impacts are covered in the first section of the policy, so mitigation must apply to impacts in general. |
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