What Marine Spatial Planning means to Natural England

What Marine Spatial Planning means to Natural England Tammy Smalley Team Leader for National Marine & Coast Evidence Team

Introduction Who am I • Worked for NE for the last year, previous to which I worked as a coastal partnership manager on The Wash for eight years Who are Natural England • Non-departmental public body • Statutory adviser on the natural environment to… ‘Ensure the natural environment is conserved, enhanced and managed for the benefit of present and future generations, thereby contributing to sustainable development. ’

Our marine remit Geographical coverage • From the coast out to 12 nautical miles in England’s territorial waters • We work closely with Joint Nature Conservation Committee to achieve consistency from 0 nm out to 200 nm extent Responsibilities in marine environment • Advising Government, industry and local communities on marine conservation, access, recreation & seascape issues • To help meet international commitments, such as advising Government on indentified sites that meet the Habitats Directive • To help implement the Marine & Coastal Access Act, including providing evidence based guidance on how to identify Marine Conservation Zones for the four regional projects

What we would like to see from MSP • That nature conservation is a key consideration in marine planning decision making for wildlife, seascapes, geology and geomorphology • That it supports and complements the commitment to deliver a coherent network of Marine Protected Areas by 2012 • That it promotes the ethos of naturally functioning marine waters and coastlines with sustainably managed industries and coasts • That there is clear integration with the terrestrial planning system, as many designated sites are intertidal • That it ensures integrated delivery of Government’s marine objectives

How integration can work for us • Any monitoring/reporting on the success of marine spatial plans is tied into other reporting rounds and reflects the need to meet commitments such as Habitats and Marine Strategy Framework Directives • Open communications with the regulators, partners and stakeholders so clear, consistent information is shared – this may require joint training with regulators and partners which is rolled out where necessary to stakeholders • Ensure that the public are understanding and supporting the principles of sustainable planning and management for our seas – Government bodies need local representativity – directly or indirectly

Thank you for listening and you can contact me by: • Email: Tammy. Smalley@naturalengland. org. uk • Tel: 0300 060 2893 • Based at Tout Hill, Peterborough