Marine Planning Issues with Supporting Evidence

Closes 10 Jan 2025

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Current Overlapping Themes

The marine planning team have identified key issues for each marine planning sector within the overlapping themes group. The identification has been conducted through continuous policy monitoring since plan adoption (2014) and a horizon scanning exercise conducted earlier in the year. The issues have been provided below and are supported by the evidence sources found here.

We are keen to understand if these issues are of key significance within the marine environment, and if there are any other further issues attaining to these sectors.

Please note: the questions are not compulsory, if you do not wish to respond please leave them blank.

How to Upload Evidence

Each survey question provides you with an opportunity to upload any supporting evidence you are aware of / hold to support the issues discussed.

  • Files uploaded must be under 25 MB.
  • You can only upload one file per survey question.
  • If you require several pieces of evidence to be uploaded, please link to the available evidence within a word document and upload that.

To upload this evidence:

  1. Click on ‘Choose file’
  2. Search your documents for the required evidence
  3. Click ‘open’ to upload the evidence
  4. The document will appear to the right of the ‘choose file’ button once uploaded

To re-submit evidence, please click ‘clear file’ and follow the process above to re-upload.

If you have any queries, please email: planning@marinemanagement.org.uk

1. Climate Change: do you agree with the issues identified for this sector below? If not, please leave the box unchecked.

  1. Climate change is causing sea level rise and increasing storminess and flooding in the east inshore marine plan area. The east inshore marine plan area has a low-lying coastline which is at risk from coastal erosion and flooding.  

  1. Nature-based solutions in the east marine plan areas can both mitigate climate change and help adapt to the impacts of climate change. For example, the conservation and restoration of blue carbon habitats such as saltmarsh, seagrass and oyster reefs can sequester carbon, whilst also helping to prevent coastal erosion and flooding. Additionally, the beneficial use of dredge material can create habitats, contribute to beach nourishment and provide landfill remediation.  

  1. The east of England is the driest region in the country. Climate change negatively impacts water security by increasing run off of pollutants and sediments, decreasing water availability (for example increasing drought) and saltwater intrusion. As a result there is likely to be an increased need for desalination plants in the east inshore marine plan area.  

There is a limit of 800 characters
There is a limit of 800 characters

Please upload any supporting evidence you may have to support the issues you have identified above.

Please make sure your file is under 25MB
2. Co-Existence: do you agree with the issues identified for this sector below? If not, please leave the box unchecked.

  1. Increasing demand for the use of marine space highlights the importance for co-existence discussions to form part of decision-making. In the east, examples of co-existence pressures include the restraints of Marine Protected Areas, as well as industry-specific considerations (for example illustrated by oil and gas, carbon capture and storage and hydrogen in the Humber region).   

  1. The rapid expansion of the marine renewables sector is a driver for marine spatial prioritisation. Co-existence with other activities is currently led by developers, however marine planning could adopt a more strategic approach to co-existence, for instance through developing toolkits to aid decision-making.   

  1. Fisheries is a key strategic activity which currently reacts to development, rather than engaging on equal terms in prioritisation issues. Marine planning should continue to support limiting displacement and encourage co-existence discussions between fisheries, developers and decision-makers.  

There is a limit of 800 characters
There is a limit of 800 characters

Please upload any supporting evidence you may have to support the issues you have identified above.

Please make sure your file is under 25MB
3. Cumulative Effects: do you agree with the issues identified for this sector below? If not, please leave the box unchecked.

  1. Increasing levels of development in the east marine plan areas (for example due to offshore wind expansion) leads to underwater noise disturbance to cetaceans (particularly harbour porpoise). There is also competition with other industries such as shipping and fishing. The introduction of noise thresholds may present an opportunity to mitigate these effects.

  2. Fisheries pressure on sand eel populations can have associated impacts on bird populations (for example kittiwakes) and other populations which rely on sand eels as their main food source. Management measures to ban sand eel fishing have been introduced in 2024 and will promote recovery of sand eel populations. This presents opportunities for positive ecological impacts, but also creates socioeconomic challenges. 

  3. Offshore wind developments can cause bird disturbance through both collisions and displacement (for example red throated divers and Kittiwakes).

There is a limit of 800 characters
There is a limit of 800 characters

Please upload any supporting evidence you may have to support the issues you have identified above.

Please make sure your file is under 25MB