National Marine Plan 2: stakeholder engagement strategy and statement of public participation

2. Introduction

2.1 What is marine planning and who does it?

Marine planning is a practice to help manage the multiple uses of our seas and oceans. Unlike other types of planning, such as land-use planning or urban planning, marine planning is a relatively new activity in Scotland – it was introduced as a statutory duty for Scottish Ministers under the “Marine Acts” in 2009-2010[1]. Marine planning activities often result in the creation of a plan, strategy, or framework, that is then used to guide decisions on how, when and by whom, certain activities can be undertaken in the marine environment.

In Scotland, marine planning activities are undertaken nationally, regionally and for specific sectors (Figure 1).

To date, marine planning activities in Scotland have resulted in a statutory National Marine Plan, several draft Regional Marine Plans, and a Sectoral Marine Plan for Offshore Wind.

Overarching policy direction, statutory requirements

National Marine Planning

The Scottish Government’s Marine Directorate undertakes national marine planning activities in accordance with the requirements and conditions set out in the Marine Acts.

For example, under Section 5 of the Marine Scotland Act (2010) (“the 2010 Act”), National Marine Plans must include policies for the sustainable development of Scotland’s seas and set objectives for economic, social, and marine ecosystems and mitigation of and adaptation to climate change.

Scottish Ministers must also state their policies on the contribution of designated conservation sites for the protection and enhancement of the sea, in support of our international commitments on conservation.

The current National Marine Plan (NMP) (2015) also sets the wider context for marine planning within Scotland, including what should be considered when creating regional marine plans and sectoral marine plans.

UK Marine and Coastal Access Act (2009)

Sectoral Marine Plan

UK Marine Policy Statement (2011)

Scotland’s National Marine Plan (2015)

Regional Marine Plan

Marine (Scotland) Act (2010)

Spatial Marine Planning

The Scottish Government, through its Marine and Offshore Wind Directorates, undertakes planning for specific marine sectors, including offshore wind. The Sectoral Marine Plan for Offshore Wind Energy, published in 2020, identified plan options for the development of commercial-scale offshore wind energy in Scotland. The iterative plan review process for sectoral marine planning allows for the consideration of new evidence and is currently underway following the ScotWind leasing round awards. The iterative plan review is expected to conclude in Spring 2025 and will be considered as part of the development of NMP2.

Regional Marine Planning

Marine Directorate supports regional Marine Planning Partnerships (MPPs), comprising local stakeholders. They undertake regional marine planning activities, encouraging more local ownership and decision-making around specific issues within their respective areas. MPPs are currently developing regional marine plans in three out of 11 marine regions[2] set out in the Scottish Marine Regions Order 2015 – Shetland, Orkney, and Clyde. A map showing the 11 marine regions is provided.

2.2 Why are we updating the National Marine Plan?

Since its adoption, Scotland’s National Marine Plan (2015) has been reviewed twice, in line with statutory requirements, to monitor and report on:

• the effects of the plan’s policies;
• the effectiveness of those policies in securing the plan’s objectives;
• its progress in securing its objectives; and
• other relevant matters.

The first review, published in 2018, found the plan to be effective, but pointed to EU Exit as one of the grounds on which future revisions may be required.

The second review, published in 2021, suggested that the urgent need to tackle the twin crises of climate change and biodiversity loss, amongst other factors, had become core drivers for a new plan.

The 2021 review found that there was a clear need to update NMP (2015) to reflect the significant changes in the wider policy and legislative landscape; rapid developments in technology; the need to deliver a green recovery from COVID-19; as well as to reflect our improved understanding of the marine environment, including the socio-economic benefits of marine development. The review highlighted that the Scottish Government’s commitment to delivery of a Blue Economy Approach, to establish and grow “blue” as a natural capital asset in Scotland, would be an important policy development and that the policies in the NMP would need to reflect and be aligned with the ambitions within the Blue Economy Vision.

In March 2022, we published the Blue Economy Vision for Scotland, outlining its long-term ambition for shared stewardship of our marine environment by 2045[3]. This vision sets out a new approach that puts environmental and societal issues on a more equal footing with economic interests. As identified by the 2021 review of NMP (2015), an updated Plan will act as a key delivery mechanism for the outcomes in the Blue Economy Vision.

The Blue Economy Vision makes clear that there are difficult choices ahead to deliver the aspirations for the sustainable management of Scotland’s seas and coasts by 2045, which will require consideration of co-dependencies, synergies or trade-offs between different interests and any cumulative impacts.

In the Programme for Government 2022-23, Scottish Ministers committed to start the process of developing a new National Marine Plan (“NMP2”) for Scotland, to address the global climate and nature crises, by carefully managing increased competition for space and resources in the marine environment. This commitment was re-affirmed by Cabinet Secretary for Transport, Net Zero and Just Transition in First Minister’s Policy Prospectus in April 2023.

2.3 Why is Marine Directorate engaging stakeholders on the development of NMP2?

Securing and maintaining the involvement of our stakeholders throughout the planning process is essential to the creation of a Plan that will benefit not only individual sectors, but also people living by, relying on, and visiting Scotland’s seas.

We recognise that working with stakeholders results in better information and evidence to inform policy decisions, such as the locations of certain activities in the marine space, or insight as to how certain stakeholder groups could be affected by or perceive a given policy. By engaging at key points, in a staged approach, alongside plan development we can offer opportunities to stakeholders who use or rely on Scotland’s seas to participate in the collaborative development of policy ideas, helping to shape the plan.

Scottish Ministers have a statutory obligation to prepare and publish a Statement of Public Participation (SPP), outlining when and how they will engage with stakeholders during the preparation of a national marine plan (in accordance with paragraphs 5 and 6 of schedule 6 of the 2009 Act, and paragraphs 4 and 5 of schedule 1 of the 2010 Act. There is also a statutory obligation under Part 1 of the Environmental Assessment (Scotland) Act 2005 (“the 2005 Act”) to consult relevant stakeholders on the draft plan and accompanying strategic environmental assessments. In accordance with the Marine Acts, the SPP has been revised to reflect changes in the NMP2 delivery timeline, and this stakeholder engagement strategy has been revised to reflect additional details on our staged approach to engagement throughout NMP2 development.

To that end, this stakeholder engagement strategy, alongside the SPP provided in Annex A will outline:

• what we want to achieve through engaging stakeholders on the development of NMP2
• how we hope to achieve that
• how stakeholders can be involved

2.4 How does this tie in with other stakeholder engagement carried out by Marine Directorate?

We recognise that the Marine Directorate already carries out extensive engagement with stakeholders as part of its day-to-day business, for example, in relation to specific policy or regulatory changes. We also recognise that our stakeholders put considerable time and effort into working with us on these issues.

We conducted an internal review into previous stakeholder engagement activities in 2021 and findings have been incorporated into the vision, outcomes and principles that shape this strategy. In particular to minimise the risk of stakeholder fatigue and disengagement from the marine planning process, we will use existing fora, where possible, to engage our stakeholders, including the public, in a manner which is proportionate and effective. Examples include:

• working with existing internal and external stakeholder groups
• combining resources and opportunities for stakeholder engagement and consultation at key junctures including in both the Sectoral Marine Plan and National Marine Plan 2 processes
• attendance at the regular Regional Inshore Fishery Groups’ Chairs meeting to provide progress updates and collect feedback
• attendance at the meetings of Regional Marine Planning Partnerships
• sharing of evidence and views gathered through other consultation processes more broadly, where the necessary consent has been sought and granted, to inform policy development.

2.5 How to read this strategy

The main text of the strategy provides an overview of what we want to achieve through engaging stakeholders on the delivery of NMP2. We will monitor progress against these outcomes and principles and adjust our engagement actions as required.

The Statutory SPP (Annex A), provides a chronological timetable of proposed stakeholder engagement activities, including target stakeholder groups and methods for engagement. The SPP should be read in conjunction with the main text of this strategy.