Marine / ‘Utterly ridiculous’ that SIC is still waiting for marine plan to be adopted, councillor says
COUNCILLORS have again expressed frustration that a new Shetland regional marine plan approved locally in 2021 has not yet been adopted by the Scottish Government.
Shetland Central member Davie Sandison said it seems “utterly ridiculous” that it has taken so long to be formally adopted.
He added at a meeting of Shetland Islands Council’s (SIC) development committee on Wednesday that it was “almost farcical to say the least” given the amount of work done locally on the matter.
North Isles member Robert Thomson said it appeared the council’s marine planning team were more competent than the government’s – and quipped that perhaps the SIC could ask for devolvement of powers in a bid to get things done.
The aim of the local marine plan – developed by the council and UHI Shetland – is to manage the marine environment in Shetland in a sustainable way to have clean, healthy, safe, productive and diverse seas, managed to meet the long-term needs of nature and people.
Development director Neil Grant said the issue with the hold-up had been ongoing for years.
He said the local marine planning team “absolutely know what they’re doing” and got themselves ahead of the curve – but are now stuck at the government’s door.
A report presented to councillors said the plan is currently with the Scottish Government’s legal department for checking and further engagement is ongoing with the Marine Directorate.
“Weekly meetings are being held to get the plan to the point of adoption as soon as possible,” it added.
At Wednesday’s meeting SIC leader Emma Macdonald said the council could bring up the issue with local MSP Beatrice Wishart.
Meanwhile a spokesperson for the Scottish Government previously said in May in response to previous concerns over the delay:
“Following a gateway review process in 2023, Scottish Government officials are working closely with the Shetland Isles Marine Planning Partnership to support them through the required updating of their Regional Marine Plan to ensure it can be adopted by ministers.”
In the summer of 2023 the Scottish Government undertook a “gateway review” of all developing regional marine plans, including the Shetland one.
A briefing note given to councillors in December 2023 said the Scottish Government had admitted that some delays “could have been avoided” and that the “level of communication, support, advice and service provided” had been “insufficient”.
The note said there was a “significant delay” initially in 2021/22 following a request to amend the plan’s delegation of functions to take account of the name change from the NAFC Marine Centre to Shetland UHI following the local college merger.
Further updates had been required, including off the back of the government’s 2023 review.
Marine planning in Shetland is nothing new; the first Shetland marine spatial plan was created in 2008, and there have been four editions since, with the last one published in 2015.
The development of new Shetland Islands Regional Marine Plan (SIRMP) built on the existing marine spatial planning work.
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