This document contains frequently asked questions about the regional marine plan. Hereafter the regional marine plan will be referred to as ‘the Plan’.
General Questions
What is the Clyde Regional Marine Plan?
The Plan has been prepared to guide decision making that will contribute to the sustainable use of our marine resources. The Plan policies will inform relevant decision making and are to guide developers, public authorities, regulators, consenting authorities, planners, and marine users on sustainable development and use in the Clyde Marine Region. The Plan is underpinned by the statutory obligation that decision makers must take the Plan into account during the decision-making process for marine licence applications, enabling delivery of the Plan’s long-term vision and aims. The Plan supports delivery of Scotland’s NMP in a regional context.
Scotland’s National Marine Plan (NMP) sets out strategic policies for the sustainable use of Scotland’s marine resources out to 200 nautical miles. The Marine (Scotland) Act 2010 allows for Regional Marine Plans to be developed to take account of ‘…the physical, environmental, social, cultural and economic characteristics of the Scottish marine region to which the plan applies and of the living resources which the region supports,’ for inshore waters out to 12 nautical miles.
Who is the Clyde Marine Planning Partnership (CMPP)?
The CMPP is a group of relevant organisations and individuals working to ensure sustainable coordinated management of the Clyde Marine Region. The CMPP was formed from the Firth of Clyde Forum in 2016 and was delegated to be the Marine Planning Partnership in 2017 by Scottish Government.
How will the Plan be enforced and monitored?
Enforcement will take place through planning and licensing processes. Monitoring will be done by the CMPP as a statutory duty under direction from Scottish Ministers. The Plan will be kept under review and a report detailing the review will be published a minimum of 3 years from the date of the Plan’s adoption[1].
How will the Plan be reviewed and updated?
In line with The Marine Scotland Act (2010), the first review of the Plan is due, at the latest, five years from the adoption of the Plan. After a report is published, the Scottish Ministers must decide whether or not to amend or replace the Plan.[2] After the publication of the first report, successive reports must be published with no more than five years lapsing following the publication of the previous report.[3]
How does the Plan interact with the National Marine Plan (NMP), and once adopted, National Marine Plan 2 (NMP2)? At what point will the Plan not be in conformance with the existing NMP?
Regional Marine Plans provide more local policy and detail to aid delivery of the NMP. The Plan contains policy supporting the delivery of the NMP at the regional level. All policies in the Plan must be in accordance with the National Marine Plan that is in effect.
How does the Plan interact with land use planning?
Within the Clyde Marine Region, there are eight Local Authorities and one National Park. All of them have a Local Development Plan (LDP). There will also be a Regional Spatial Strategy for Glasgow City Region, and development on that is currently taking place. National Planning Framework 4 is the long-term national spatial strategy and planning policy document for land use planning in Scotland.
Each LDP must give consideration to the Plan. Marine plan boundaries extend up to Mean High Water Springs. Terrestrial planning boundaries extend down to Mean Low Water Springs. Therefore, there is an overlap of planning jurisdictions in the inter-tidal area and for aquaculture. The Marine (Scotland) Act 2010 and the Town and Country Planning (Development Planning) (Scotland) Regulations 2008 both require that marine plans and development plans have regard to each other.
When will other Regional Marine Plans in Scotland be developed?
Eleven Scottish Marine Regions have been created to cover all of Scotland’s inshore waters. Regional Marine Plans will be developed by Marine Planning Partnerships. The first partnerships established were in the Clyde and Shetland Isles Regions, followed by the Orkney Islands Region. The Shetland Islands Regional Marine Plan was adopted in December 2025. The Orkney Islands Regional Marine Plan was adopted in February 2026. All further development within the other eight Marine Regions has been paused until NMP2 is adopted.
How will this plan interact with other Regional Marine Plans?
Each regional marine plan is responsible for its own region.
Does this Plan address reserved and devolved matters?
This Plan and its policies only apply to matters within the devolved competence of the Scottish Ministers. Any activities that are classified as reserved matters are out with the scope of this Plan.
Will Good Environmental Status (GES) be included/measured?
The Plan supports delivery of GES, but this is measured at a larger scale than the Plan which is why GES targets are not included as a measurement.
Who is funding this work?
Scottish Government’s Marine Directorate
When will the plan be adopted (timescale)?
We cannot confirm at present when the Plan will be adopted by Scottish Ministers. After the completion of the statutory consultation, amendments will be made and agreed between CMPP members, CMPP staff and MD. The Plan will then be put before Scottish Ministers for adoption. Please see the CMPP’s website for all details on the stages of the development of the plan.
What does the Regional Marine Plan not do?
The Plan does not replace or remove existing regulatory regimes or regulatory requirements. It provides an overarching framework to be used when reaching decisions about proposed planning developments and licensable activities in the Clyde Marine Region.
The Plan has been developed in accordance with the existing National Marine Plan (NMP). This is a legal requirement, and regional marine planning policies cannot go further or seek to amend those included in the NMP. The CMPP will amend policies where possible in line with NMP2.
Recommendations, whilst not enforceable under the Marine (Scotland) Act 2010, have been included to inform the general management of all activities in the region, including those which are not managed through planning or licensing, such as marine and coastal sport, recreation and tourism. Implementation of these recommendations by marine users will play a key role in driving protection and enhancement in the region.
The Plan has geographical boundaries limited to within 12 nautical miles(nm). It therefore has no jurisdiction on licensable activities that take place beyond 12nm. Licensable activities that take place between 12 and 200nm fall under the remit of NMP.
The Plan can only guide decision making in relation to issues ‘devolved’ to the Scottish Government and has no jurisdiction over ‘reserved matters’ such as defence or oil and gas.
The Regional Marine Plan is subject to a 5 yearly monitoring and review cycle in line with legislation.
What happens next? How can I stay informed on the progress of the Plan?
The 16 week statutory consultation period will close on 24th February 2027. [JB1] The CMPP staff will then review all of the comments received during the consultation, amend the Plan accordingly, and draft a document detailing how the comments received have been addressed and what has been changed in the Plan. The Plan will then be circulated to CMPP members for any final changes and approval, before it will be submitted to Scottish Government’s Marine Directorate for their comment. The Plan will be considered by Scottish Ministers for adoption once the content has been agreed between CMPP and MD. This process will start as soon as the consultation closes. You can stay up to date with Plan progress via our website and newsletter.
Policy Specific Questions
Does the Plan have any impact or influence on Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) or Priority Marine Features (PMFs)?
General Policy 5 on Natural Heritage includes policies that include measures to ensure the protection and management of existing MPAs and mandates that any development or activities should consider, where appropriate, the potential for cumulative impacts affecting and marine and coastal environment, and should not result in significant adverse impacts on the national status of PMFs. The Plan will not influence the designation of any future MPAs.
Why does the chapter on Marine Litter not go further?
The Plan is limited to what policies it can develop to address litter in the terrestrial environment. Policies focus on preventing/reducing marine litter at source. The Plan seeks not to duplicate information provided through existing legislation and policy.
Why does the Plan not contain any Fisheries Management Measures?
It is not within the remit of the Plan to develop policies for fisheries management measures in line with Scottish legislation. NMP says ‘We envisage that Marine Planning Partnerships, informed by the work of Inshore Fisheries Groups and working in partnership with Local Authorities, could form a platform for moving to a more regional model of marine management’. The CMPP engages with relevant fisheries stakeholders and supports existing mechanisms such as the Regional Inshore Fisheries Group Network. The Scottish Government has clearly defined mechanisms in place for developing fisheries management policy. There are policies in the Fisheries chapter (Sector Policy 2), but they do not address fisheries management.
Why does the Plan not address issues such as ferries or flooding?
It is not within the Plan’s remit to monitor such issues. Development of the Islands Connectivity Plan[4] is underway, which will set out how ferry services, supported by other transport modes, will be delivered and strengthened. Proposals for development and/or use that aim to deliver sustainable transport initiatives will be supported where they are in accordance with the other policies in the Plan (Sector Policy 5). For flooding, the National Flood Resilience Strategy[5] and Flood Risk Management Plans[6] are in effect for Scotland. However, all marine licence applications should consider whether it is relevant to take coastal processes and flooding into account and demonstrate they have done this where necessary (General Policy 4).
Are offshore wind farm developments covered in the Plan?
No, the Plan covers the marine region of 0-12nm from the coastline. There are no planned wind farms within this area of the Clyde Marine Region, although some subsea cabling from proposed wind farms out with the region may be laid through the Region, and subsea cabling policies are included in the Plan (Sector Policy 6). Any licensable activities from 12nm-200nm, including wind farms elsewhere, are covered by the existing National Marine Plan. The Sectoral Marine Plan for Offshore Wind Energy which will provide the spatial planning framework for the ScotWind and INTOG leasing rounds in currently in development by MD[7].
Why are there no policies in General Policy 7: Defence?
Defence is a reserved matter. The UK Government retains sole responsibility for defence and national security. Therefore, the Plan cannot introduce any policies on this matter.
[1] S61 Marine and Coastal Access Act 2009 (https://bit.ly/4f3XZQn)
[2] S16 Marine (Scotland) Act 2010 (https://bit.ly/4d9FlUX)
[3] S16 Marine (Scotland) Act 2010 (https://bit.ly/4d9FlUX)
[4] Islands Connectivity Plan (https://bit.ly/4mJWx7C)
[5] The National Flood Resilience Strategy (2024) (https://bit.ly/4euISzx)
[6] Flood Risk Management Plans (https://bit.ly/4d4fX3X)
[7] Sectoral Marine Plan for Offshore Wind Energy (https://bit.ly/4qcbCkb)