Public Participation Statement - Offshore wind, wave and tidal sectoral marine plans.

Marine Scotland Plan for Offshore Wind Energy Plan for Wave Energy Plan for Tidal Energy

How can I get involved in planning for offshore renewable energy?

Participation statement - August 2012

What plans are being developed for offshore renewable energy in Scotland?

Marine Scotland has commenced its review of the Plan for Offshore Wind Energy. It is also updating the 2007 Strategic Environmental Assessment ( SEA) of wave and tidal energy. Finalised plans for all three technologies will be adopted in 2013.

Sectoral marine plans provide a framework for the sustainable development of commercial scale offshore renewable energy developments in Scotland's marine environment, extending to 200 nautical miles from shore. They explore how offshore wind, wave and tidal energy can contribute to meeting Scotland's target of generating the equivalent of 100% of energy demand from renewable sources. The Plans also seek to maximise the contribution of these technologies in achieving a low carbon economy.

How are the plans being developed?

The Plans will be brought together and accompanied by an integrated 'Sustainability Appraisal'. This will include an assessment of the impacts of the plan on communities, other users of the sea and the economy (a 'socio-economic impact assessment) and the environment (a Strategic Environmental Assessment). A Habitats Regulations Appraisal ( HRA) will also be undertaken, to identify potential for effects on European nature conservation sites. The Appraisal process will also seek to incorporate other assessments such as Business and Regulatory Impact Assessment and Equalities Impact Assessment, as required.

Why should I get involved?

It is essential that stakeholders and the public contribute to the development of these Plans. Marine Scotland is keen to hear views on opportunities and challenges, and to discuss the expected impacts of development. This Participation Statement sets out how you can get involved in the process.

When can I get involved?

Engagement will take place throughout the preparation of the plan. Non-statutory and statutory consultation will be undertaken at two key stages:

Timing	Stage
August and September 2012	Early Engagement (non-statutory consultation) Publication of Draft Regional Locational Guidance Publication of Draft Initial Plan Frameworks
Spring 2013	Public Engagement (statutory consultation) Consultation on the draft Plans and Sustainability Appraisal Report

What's happening in August and September 2012?

It is important that people have an early opportunity to get involved in the process for developing the plans. Building upon the Scoping Reports for Offshore Wind, Wave and Tidal Energy (which identify broad search areas for offshore wind, wave and tidal energy plan options), Marine Scotland will be undertaking a series of initial events, to raise awareness of the planning process. We will also invite early views and ideas on the Draft Initial Plan Frameworks (which set out of the process for developing plans for offshore wind, wave and tidal energy) and the Draft Regional Locational Guidance documents (which contain detailed information in relation to the 'scoping' search areas for future offshore wind, wave and tidal energy plan options).

Where can I find information online?

The Scoping Reports, Draft Initial Plan Frameworks and Draft Regional Locational Guidance documents for offshore wind, wave and tidal energy are available at:
http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Topics/marine/marineenergy/Planning

Where will the initial public events be held?

During the autumn, initial regional public events will be held in:

Inverness	Dumfries
Aberdeen	Glasgow
Edinburgh	Stornoway
Kirkwall

What form will the regional consultation events take?

These events will:

• Raise awareness of the Draft Regional Locational Guidance ( RLG) that is currently being developed by Marine Scotland.
• Set out how the Draft RLG will be used to identify initial options for the planning process.
• Explain how we will assess the economic, social and environmental impact of these options.
• Outline how this work will be used to form draft plans, for more formal public consultation (contained the Draft Initial Plan Frameworks).

The events will be run from the afternoon into the evening to facilitate public engagement. Local organisations, press and informal networks will be used to raise awareness of the events.

How will Marine Scotland engage with key stakeholders at the national level?

Stakeholder workshops, involving key sectoral interests will also be held focusing on:

• Environment.
• Shipping and navigation.
• Ports and harbours.
• Recreation and tourism.
• Renewables and grid industry.
• Fishing, fisheries management and aquaculture.

How will the formal consultation be run in Spring 2013?

The formal consultation on the Draft Plans and the associated Sustainability Appraisal Report will run for a 16 week period. This is a longer period than the standard 12 week consultation, to take into account of potential for overlap with holiday periods. The key documents will be published online and people will be invited to share their views in writing.

The formal written consultation will be supplemented with a series of further stakeholder and public consultation workshops. We are currently planning to hold these events in March 2013. As illustrated in the map, a further series of regional workshops will take place in the following locations:

Region	Location
North	Shetland (Lerwick) Shetland (Brae) Orkney (Kirkwall) Orkney (Stromness) Thurso Inverness
North East	Aberdeen Peterhead
East	Dundee St. Andrews Edinburgh
South West	Dumfries Newton Stewart Stranraer Maryport (Cumbria)
West	Campbeltown Islay Tiree
North West	Oban Stornoway

The workshops will take the form of a drop in session (afternoons), followed by a presentation to provide more in-depth information for those who are interested in the detailed aspects of the plans and their assessments. The events will be advertised nationally (online) and locally using local press and existing networks and organisations where possible. Attendees will not be required to sign in or sign up in advance, to maximise participation on the day as far as possible.

Marine Licensing Manual

Marine Scotland is also currently reviewing the licensing manual for offshore renewable energy. The manual details the key steps in the process when seeking obtaining to obtain the appropriate development consents from Marine Scotland Licensing Operations Team. The draft Manual will be consulted upon at appropriate regional and sectoral events in the overall consultation process.

How can I keep in touch with what's going on?

Marine Scotland is building a distribution list, that will be used to alert people to upcoming events, online information and progress with the project as a whole. If you would like to be kept informed in this way, or have any views on our approach to the consultation, please email the offshore renewables team at: offshorerenewableenergy@scotland.gsi.gov.uk.