"The Marine Act: The Way Forward in Wales"

The Marine and Coastal Access Bill received Royal Assent on 12 November 2009.

“This is the first time the UK has had such a coherent and coordinated approach to managing our seas,” Environment Minister Jane Davidson said as the Marine and Coastal Access Bill was passed into law.

The WCMP Workplan for the period 2009-2011 broadly covers the key sections of the Marine and Coastal Access Bill. Priority areas for the short and medium term are the creation Marine Conservation Zones and input into the UK Marine Policy Statement. A task group to the approach will be taken by the WCMP (as listed with in the workplan). This is a fluid document that will evolve as the Marine Bill is implemented. The work plan can be found under the Resources section of the WCMP site.

The first consultation on some of the secondary legislation that will be produced under ‘Part 4: Marine licensing’ of the Marine and Coastal Access Bill has been launched. This is a joint consultation between DEFRA and WAG.

The consultation sets out some initial ideas for how applications for a marine licence should be processed and determined; what the appeals process for appealing decisions of the marine licensing authority should look like; and which activities should be exempt from the need for a marine licence and on what conditions. A link to the consultation can be found below.

http://www.defra.gov.uk/corporate/consult/marine-bill/index.htm

The closing date for this consultation is 22nd September 2009.

The Second Reading of the The Marine Bill has taken place in the Commons with considerable interest recorded from Welsh MPs.  The full transcript can be found via the link below:

http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm200809/cmhansrd/cm090623/debtext/90623-0009.htm#09062398000001

http://wales.gov.uk/consultations/environmentandcountryside/severntidal/?lang=en

Lord Tyler drew attention to the recommendation of the Joint Parliamentary Committee issued in July 2008 that:

'Sea the future.
The marine and coastal environment 20 years from now’

Wales Coastal & Maritime Partnership
Annual Welsh Conference on Marine and Coastal Policy

PROGRAMME: http://www.walescoastalpartnership.org.uk/images_client/resource/PROGRAMME.pdf

Joint Wales Coastal and Maritime Partnership (WCMP)/WLGA meeting for Local Authority Officers and Members on Marine and Coastal Policy and the Marine Bill

10 am, Japan Room, Wales Millennium Centre (WMC)

Bute Place, Cardiff Bay, CF10 5AL

 

Directions:

http://www.wmc.org.uk/index.cfm?alias=getting

 

This meeting is an outcome of discussions with WLGA and Jane Davidson, Minister for the Environment, Planning and Countryside,  on how we can best engage Local Authorities and government in the development and implementation of Marine Policy and the forthcoming Marine Bill.

 

An information flyer on the Wales Coastal & Maritime Partnership (WCMP) and Local authority representation can be accessed here:

http://www.walescoastalpartnership.org.uk/images_client/resource/LOCAL%20GOVERNMENT2.pdf

The House of Commons Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (EFRA) Committee has decided to undertake pre-legislative scrutiny of aspects of the Draft Bill.

A draft Marine Bill was launched for consultation on 3rd April 2008. The deadline for comments is the 26th June 2008. The Partnership will be reconvening and expanding the membership of its Marine Bill working group to provide a written response to the relevant committee.

Pre-conference Reception at 1800 @ Wales Millennium Centre

http://www.walescoastalpartnership.org.uk/images_client/resource/reception.doc

A conference programme can be downloaded at: http://www.walescoastalpartnership.org.uk/images_client/resource/WCMPconferenceprogramme.doc

Please check the WCMP webpage regularly for up-to-date information on the conference and for further announcements or corrections to the programme.

' A Wave forward for Wales' is the second Marine Policy conference of its kind organised by the Wales Coastal and Maritime Partnership (WCMP), in Wales and open to non-members. The conference will take place at the Wales Millenium Centre , Cardiff  Bay on 8th February.

RPS Planning and Development, Chepstow Office, are currently undertaking a project for the Welsh Assembly Government titled the ‘Marine Renewable Energy Strategic Framework’ or MRESF.  The overall aim of the project, as given by WAG, is to ‘develop a MRESF that will ensure the optimum and sustainable energy extraction and CO₂ storage in Welsh Sea with minimum environmental impact’. 

A Fisheries' Strategy for Wales was launched by the Minister, Elin Jones, last week on 6th December 2007.

The 'Blue Book' was launched on 10th October in Brussels. EU maritime policy is taking shape in the form of this communication adopted. It sets out a community vision for an Integrated Maritime Policy and is accompanied by a detailed action plan setting out an ambitious work programme for the years ahead.

A press release on the the launch can be viewed at: http://ec.europa.eu/maritimeaffairs/press/press_rel101007_en.html

The Blue paper and accompanying documents can be downloaded at: http://ec.europa.eu/maritimeaffairs/subpage_en.html

SDC long awaited report was launched on 1^st October 2007 and draws on extensive research and public and stakeholder engagement. Its main conclusion is that through a combination of technologies UK’s tidal resources could be harnessed to contribute 10% towards the country’s electricity.

The Dee and Severn estuaries have been formally earmarked as Special Areas of Conservation (SACs).

The Welsh Assembly Government has sought jointly with the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs that the European Commission grants, as part of a long-running process of designation of UK conservation areas under the EU Habitats Directive, SAC status to both candidate sites.