Public Consultation on Marine Planning Policy Statement

On behalf of the Government, Mr Damien English, T.D., Minister for Housing and Urban Development, has published the draft Marine Planning Policy Statement for public consultation.

The draft Marine Planning Policy Statement is intended to do the following:

• describe the existing components of Ireland's marine planning system;
• outline a vision for the future development of our marine planning system;
• set out the overarching policies and principles the Government expects marine planning bodies and other public bodies that engage with the marine planning system to observe (in terms, for example, of public engagement, transparency, governance, environmental assessment, climate action, social and economic benefit);
• set out high-level priorities for the enhancement of the marine planning system in Ireland.

The Marine Planning Policy Statement serves as a parallel to the 2015 Planning Policy Statement which underpins the operation of the entire land-planning system in Ireland. It will apply to all facets of marine planning. It is being introduced initially on a non-statutory basis, pending the introduction of legislation in 2020 that will provide for the preparation, adoption and review of statutory marine planning policy statements on six-yearly cycles. It reflects the comprehensive updating and renewal now underway of Ireland’s marine planning system, setting out core principles to inform evolving marine planning and development management process.

Make a Submission

The Department invites submissions on the Marine Planning Policy Statement. The consultation period closes at midday on Friday, 9 August. You can make a submission by:

Email to the following email address only msp@housing.gov.ie or

Writing to the following address:

MPPS Consultation,

Marine Spatial Planning Section,

Department of Housing, Planning and Local Government,

Newtown Road,

Wexford

Y35 AP90

All submissions and comments submitted to the Department for this purpose are subject to release under the Freedom of Information (FOI) Act 2014 and the European Communities (Access to Information on the Environment) Regulations 2007- 2014. Submissions are also subject to Data Protection legislation.

Personal, confidential or commercially sensitive information should not be included in your submission and it will be presumed that all information contained in your submission is releasable under the Freedom of Information Act 2014.

Responses will inform the further development of Marine Planning Policy Statement. Please note that submissions received may be made available on the Department’s website. In any event, all submissions received will be subject to the provisions of the Freedom of Information Act and Data Protection legislation. See also Private Statement under the Documents link above.