Public Consultation on Ireland's National Marine Planning Framework

31/01/2020

The Draft National Marine Planning Framework (NMPF) is Ireland’s first marine planning framework and it applies to a broad range of marine activities including aquaculture, offshore renewable energy, sea fisheries and tourism. It provides a long-term framework for the effective management of Ireland's marine activities and more sustainable use of its marine resources. It is intended to enable the Irish Government to set a clear direction for managing the seas, clarify objectives and priorities, and direct decision makers, users and stakeholders towards more strategic, plan-led and efficient use of marine resources.

The NMPF will inform decisions about current and future development of the maritime area, aiming to integrate various sectoral needs within the three overarching pillars of forward planning (economic, environmental and social).

In broad terms the Draft NMPF is based around:

  1. Marine planning objectives
  2. Marine planning policies, and
  3. Supporting actions required to achieve (1) and (2) above.

The plan does not set out a hierarchy of activities. It does, however, set out supporting policies in respect of aquaculture, defence, energy, fisheries, mining and aggregates, ports harbours & shipping, telecommunications cables, tourism, safety at sea, sport & recreation, and waste-water treatment and disposal. The consultation period closes at 12:00 noon on Thursday 9th April 2020.

For information on to how to participate in the consultation period please visit the dedicated website.