Scottish Crown Estate strategic management plan: strategic environmental assessment - post adoption statement

7 Reasons for selecting the Strategic Management Plan as adopted

7.1.1 The 2005 Act requires that the Scottish Government identify, describe and evaluate the likely significant effects on the environment of any reasonable alternatives to the draft Strategy, taking into account its objectives and geographical scope.

7.1.2 For the purposes of the assessment the 22 Strategic Management Plan objectives, priorities and policies were organised into themes. Some of these were scoped out of the assessment as they were considered unlikely to have significant environmental effects, for example, because they related to administrative or procedural matters or concerned the future provision of advice which will be non-binding in nature. The two scoped in themes were:

• Theme 1: Delivering Benefits And Realising Opportunities, and
• Theme 2: How Scottish Crown Estate Assets Are Managed.

7.1.3 During the process to develop the draft Plan, the Scottish Government considered reasonable alternatives to key objectives, priorities and policies including the ‘do nothing scenario’. Following detailed consideration of various alternatives, it was concluded that there were no reasonable alternatives to the Plan.

7.1.4 The extent to which alternatives could be considered ‘reasonable’ was influenced by the existing legislative and policy context the document must align with, including existing Scottish Government commitments and targets.

7.1.5 In the finalisation of the Plan no changes have been made to the contents of the objectives, priorities and policies aside from some changes to wording. The wording does not include any additions that would necessitate further assessment.