Pilot Pentland Firth and Orkney Waters Marine Spatial Plan. Consultation Analysis and Modifications Report.

1. Introduction

1.1 Background

1.1.1 A pilot Pentland Firth and Orkney Waters ( PFOW) Marine Spatial Plan ( MSP) (the Plan) has been developed by a working group consisting of Marine Scotland, the Highland Council and Orkney Islands Council. The working group have been developing the Plan since April 2012.

1.1.2 The working group published a Plan Scheme ^[1] in November 2012, this outlined the process of developing the marine spatial plan and indicated when there would be opportunities for public consultation.

1.1.3 In July 2013 the working group published two documents, a Planning Issues and Options Consultation Paper ( PIOP) ^[2] and a draft Environmental Report ( ER) ^[3] . The PIOP had a similar purpose to the terrestrial equivalent of a Main Issues Report and aimed to facilitate stakeholder and community consultation by seeking views on what form the marine spatial plan should take.

1.1.4 There was a public consultation on these documents in July 2013 and a Consultation Analysis ^[4] and Report ^[5] were produced.

1.1.5 The results from the public consultation were used by the working group to draft the marine spatial plan and the supporting documents. The Plan went out for consultation in June 2015 along with several supporting documents i.e. a Sustainability Appraisal, Regional Locational Guidance, Socio-Economic baseline review, a partial Business and Regulatory Impact Assessment and an Equality Impact Assessment Record. These are all available on the Scottish Government Consultation Hub ^[6] .

1.1.6 The public consultation allowed respondents to comment on each of the draft polices contained within the Plan as well as provide comment on the process of developing a Plan. This Consultation Analysis and Modifications ( CAM) Report provides an analysis of the responses and how they have been taken into account in the final Plan.

1.2 Consultation

1.2.1 In accordance with the Environmental Assessment (Scotland) Act 2005: Section 16(2) Environmental Report, the consultation was advertised in the print media (The Orcadian, John O'Groat Journal and the Caithness Courier) in June 2015. A4 inserts with information on the consultation and events were also placed into The Orcadian and John O'Groat Journal in the week prior to the public events.

1.2.2 In addition, information regarding the consultation was sent to a list of >250 stakeholders with an interest in this work ( Annex 1) and highlighted on the webpages of each of the working group members. Each organisation also used social media and blogs to raise awareness of the consultation and associated events. Posters were put up in the local area and sent out via the council networks. Orkney Islands Council and the Highland Council each issued a press release. An e-mail was sent out to fishermen via the regular Scottish Government marine licence variations update and information regarding the consultation was placed in local fisheries offices.

1.2.3 The consultation included three public events in Stromness, Thurso and Durness. These took the form of a drop in session during the day and an evening session with a presentation and a question and answer session.

1.3 Analysis Method

1.3.1 The analysis of the responses has been carried out using a combination of analysis via the Scottish Government Consultation Hub and following the Scottish Government's Good Practice Guidance. The guidance ensures that the responses are analysed objectively and accurately, and that the reporting of the findings is accessible and transparent.

1.3.2 The analysis has been undertaken by members of the working group.

1.4 Report Structure

1.4.1 The report is divided into sections that reflect the main structure of the Plan and is divided up in the following way:

• A description of the documents that were part of the consultation and an analysis of the responses in terms of the number of respondents, who the respondents represented and their geographic distribution.
• An overview and analysis of the comments received in relation to the format and layout of the consultation documents.
• The comments received in relation to each section of the Plan are then dealt with in turn i.e. Section 1, Section 2 and on so. Within Sections 4 and 5, the comments received for each policy are considered as a separate item.
• This is followed by an analysis of the comments received in response to the questions contained in the consultation questionnaire on the future development of regional marine plans.
• The next part of the report contains the analysis of the comments received with regard to the supporting documents that formed part of the consultation.
• The report concludes with a summary of the discussions at the consultation events.

1.5 Report Availability and Distribution

1.5.1 The report has been compiled in line with best practice and the analysis has been made available to maximise the transparency of the decision making process.

1.5.2 The report will be made available on the Scottish Government's Consultation Hub ^[7] and consultations website ^[8] . The reports will also be uploaded to the pilot Pentland Firth and Orkney Waters Marine Spatial Plan website ^[9] . An update will be sent to the stakeholder distribution list.