The core objectives of the Clyde Marine Planning Partnership are:

• To work towards integrated, sustainable and co-ordinated planning and management of the Clyde Marine Region’s environmental, economic and community resource.
• To develop a regional marine plan which meets the legal requirements of the Marine (Scotland) Act 2010.
• To undertake projects, activities and further research in order to implement the statutory regional marine plan.
• To use the ecosystem approach to develop and implement marine planning and Integrated Coastal Zone Management (ICZM) initiatives.

The role of the Clyde Marine Planning Partnership, when creating a regional marine plan, will include:

• Assessing the condition of the region
• Summarising the significant pressures and consequences of human activity
• Setting relevant economic, social, marine ecosystem and climate change policies
• Keeping under review the characteristics of the region

Membership of the CMPP is open to:

• All Firth of Clyde Forum Core Group members at December 2015.
• Any organisation with coastal and marine duties in the Firth of Clyde or an organisation with relevant statutory duties.
• Any corporate body or person who, in the view of members, can provide significant additional relevant skills or expertise in delivering the objectives of the association at a Clyde-wide level and which cannot be secured by the association by other means.

The CMPP Membership is currently made up of 24 stakeholders from a wide range of sectors with interests in the Clyde Marine Region. Before applying for Membership, the CMPP encourages applicants to review the list of Members and consider how their application will bring significant or unique expertise to the CMPP, in addition to existing Members.

Any corporate body or person wishing to become a member should apply in writing and a decision on their membership will be taken at the next members meeting. There is no membership fee. Further details and how to apply can be found in the CMPP Constitution and operational guidance document. The Operational Guidance document also provides information on the requirements of Membership. Members meet once a quarter to discuss the development of the Regional Marine Plan and a quorum of 8 members is required at every meeting.

Throughout the development of the regional marine plan, there will be opportunity for anyone to take part in policy development of specific issues via working groups, workshops and subgroups. Please sign up to the newsletter and keep an eye on our website for updates on the consultation and events pages to see what is planned in your area and how you can input into plan development through consultations, events, surveys and workshops. The CMPP has also published a Statement of Public Participation which gives more detail about key periods for involvement.

Members of the partnership at this time are listed below.

Signatories to the CMPP constitution:

• Argyll & Bute Council
• British Marine Scotland
• Caledonian Maritime Assets Limited
• CalMac Ferries Ltd
• Clydeplan
• Clydeport Operations Ltd., Statutory Harbour Authority
• Community of Arran Seabed Trust (COAST)
• Field Studies Council Millport
• Individual – Simon Macdonald, representing the West Coast Regional Inshore Fisheries Group
• Individual – Elaine Whyte, representing the Clyde Fishermen’s Association
• Individual – Anthony Gallagher – Chairperson
• Loch Lomond & The Trossachs National Park
• North Ayrshire Council
• Royal Society for the Protection of Birds
• Royal Yachting Association Scotland
• Scottish Canals
• Scottish Environment LINK
• Scottish Natural Heritage
• Scottish Sea Anglers Conservation Network
• Scottish Environment Protection Agency
• South Ayrshire Council
• The Crown Estate
• The Scottish Salmon Company
• Visit Scotland

The role of the CMPP Board is to act as a decision-making mechanism when three or more Partnership members object to a proposal, recommendation or decision at a partnership meeting. Board members are required to make decisions based on the objectives of the Partnership. They are appointed as individuals and do not represent any particular business, industry body, interest group or authority.

The Partnership board will be a combination of six individuals nominated by organisations with a permanent board position and up to six individuals elected by the other partnership members. This shall take place at each annual members meeting.

The list of members with a permanent board position will be reviewed at each annual members meeting to ensure that they remain appropriate. Any changes will be made following a majority vote by members. A quorum of six members is required at each Board meeting.

The current Board Members of the CMPP are:

Permanent Board Members

• Charlie Simcox, Senior Manager – Marine Operations, Peel Ports Clydeport
  

Charlie has a varied marine background, working at sea with the Royal Fleet Auxiliary, as a Naval Advisor to a Middle East Armed Forces, and port operations with Associated British Ports and Peel Ports.  He brings experience of living and working in multinational, multicultural and complex matrix environments.

• Provost Iain Campbell, South Ayrshire Council

Iain grew up in a fishing family from the Isle of Lewis before being educated at Ayr Academy and thereafter at Edinburgh University.  Most of his career was spent within the Oil and Gas Industry as an International Business Development Manager working initially in Norway and North Africa but after the demise of the Soviet Union in Russia, Kazakhstan and Azerbaijan.  He retired from the business in 2016 finishing his career in Malaysia, Brunei, Indonesia and Singapore.  Iain was elected as a councillor in South Ayrshire Council in 2017 and still retains a strong interest in the fishing industry, he enjoys fishing and watching football.

• Councillor David Kinniburgh, Argyll and Bute Council

David was first elected as a Councillor to Argyll and Bute Council in May 2007, representing the Helensburgh & Lomond South Ward. In November 2013 he took on the role of policy lead for Planning and Regulatory Services, a position he has continued after being re-elected in May 2017. David also Chairs the planning committee since taking up the position of policy lead.

• Stuart Tait, Clydeplan

Stuart is a graduate of the Glasgow School of Art/University of Glasgow and a chartered town planner with extensive experience spanning 30 years in development planning both at the local and strategic levels. Stuart sits on a number of Boards in the Glasgow and Clyde Valley region and brings a wealth of knowledge and experience from these to the CMPP.

• James Miller M.R.T.P.I, North Ayrshire Council

A graduate of the Glasgow School of Art, I have worked in local authority all of my career, starting as a student in Glasgow City Council, and then my first full time position in the policy and implementation team of Renfrew District Council. In 1996, I was appointed Supervisor in Development Management of the new Renfrewshire Council, before moving to my current role as lead officer of the Planning Service at North Ayrshire Council. Outwith work I have a leading role in my local parish Church, and enjoy many sports, including rugby, football and golf.

Non-permanent Board Members

• Alex Watson-Crook, Scottish Sea Angling Conservation Network

Alex graduated from Heriot Watt University with a BSc. in Applied Marine Biology and is currently studying for a Master’s degree in Environmental Decision Making. Alex is an individual Scottish Sea Angling Conservation Network (SSACN) member and she also acts as an Advisor to SSACN on the Firth of Clyde. Alex has over sixteen years of fisheries management experience with a particular emphasis on the Firth of Clyde and the Solway Firth. Alex now works for Sustainable Inshore Fisheries Trust (SIFT) as Projects Coordinator, where she has been in place for five years.

• Elaine Whyte, Clyde Fishermen’s Association

Elaine holds an MPhil in Policy and Governance and has over a decade’s worth of senior management experience, working nationally and internationally in fields including: European Policy, financial management, on partnership projects and in the arts. Elaine has family roots on the Argyll coast and islands which has instilled in her the cultural importance of fishing communities to Scotland’s coast. Elaine is also the Chief Executive Officer of the Clyde Fishermen’s Trust and Chair of the Inshore Committee on the Scottish Fishermen’s Federation.

• Howard Wood, Community of Arran Seabed Trust

Howard is a long term resident of Arran and advocate for the marine environment. Qualified as a Master diver and instructor, Howard has utilised this skill as a Seasearch surveyor and by coordinating and taking part in joint marine research work around the island. Howard sits on the board of two environmental charities and is the recipient of several awards including: Scotsman newspaper Green award (2009), Goldman Environment Prize Europe (2015) and OBE awarded for services to the marine environment (2015).

• Simon Macdonald, West Coast Regional Inshore Fisheries Group

Simon’s career path has been in fisheries over the past forty years. He owned and ran a creel boat in the West Highlands before starting a successful processing and fish smoking business. Simon was appointed to the Board of Lochaber Enterprise, part of Highlands and Islands Enterprise in 2000 until 2006. He was promoted to the role Vice Chairman in 2003. He was also appointed to the Board of Lochaber College at the time of transition to UHI status. He Chaired the Board Liaison Group with the specific brief of building an extension to the campus, effectively doubling its size and bringing the project together on time and under budget. Simon advised on adding value to the oyster producing industry on L’Etang du Thau in the South of France, where just over a fifth of the oysters in France are cultivated. He also organised a Co-operative for the producers to enhance their marketing activities and create a stronger buying power for the many small scale producers, thereby increasing the profitability and job creation for the Languedoc Region.

• (Please note: I. Glasgow resigned as Chair of the CMPP in September 2019 and withdrew her membership; R. Fairgrieve withdrew her membership of the CMPP in August 2019)
• Clyde Marine Planning Partnership – Operational Guidance

• Clyde Public Notice – The Herald 12th February 2016
• Ministerial Direction for Regional Marine Planning Functions in the Clyde Region

Delivery of duties under the Scottish Ministerial Direction – The Delegation of Functions (Regional Marine Plan for the Scottish Marine Region for the Clyde) Direction 2017

The public authorities and the Clyde Marine Planning Partnership (CMPP) have been delegated the responsibility to develop a Regional Marine Plan (RMP) for the Clyde. It is the intention of Scottish Ministers that the public authorities will undertake this duty through their Membership of the CMPP, which ensures their involvement with the Statement of Public Participation (SPP), plan development and the consultation process.

The public authorities and the CMPP agree that:

• They will act in accordance with the CMPP Constitution and Operational Guidance
• The CMPP will be the primary contact for regional marine planning in the Clyde Marine Region.
• In so far as consultation with third parties is concerned, the public authorities will undertake their duties through their membership of the CMPP and through the activities agreed by the CMPP and undertaken by the CMPP staff.
• A SPP will be prepared by the CMPP to demonstrate the inclusion of communities, local stakeholders and the general public during development of the RMP.
• The CMPP website (and social media) will provide all public-facing information on the plan development process, including the SPP and any workshops, events and consultation to be undertaken throughout the process. The public authorities will provide links on their websites to the CMPP website. In this way, the consultation duties of the public authorities under paragraph 6 of the Direction will be carried out.
• The CMPP will have regard to responses made during consultation when finalising the RMP. In this way the public authorities will deliver their duties under paragraph 7 of the Direction. This does not preclude the public authorities from responding to the consultation.
• This agreement will remain in force for as long as the Direction from Scottish Ministers remains in force, unless an amendment is agreed by all parties.

Regular updates on the progress of the development of the Regional Marine Plan are written, these are available to read on the Clyde Marine Plan page.

Marine Licences are required for certain activities in Scottish waters such as marine construction works, dredging of seabed sediment for navigation or other purposes, and installation of marine farm equipment, to list a few examples. The Marine Scotland Licensing Operations Team (MS-LOT) are the responsible authority for issuing Marine Licences for licensable activities in Scottish inshore and offshore waters on behalf of Scottish Ministers.

Before issuing a licence, MS-LOT will carry out a consultation with statutory and relevant non-statutory consultees. These can include the Northern Lighthouse Board, Scottish Natural Heritage, the Scottish Fishermen’s Federation, Royal Yachting Association Scotland and the Maritime and Coastguard Agency.

The Clyde Marine Planning Partnership is a statutory consultee for Marine Licence applications and pre-application consultations sought within the Clyde Marine Region; this duty came into force when the Ministerial Direction for the CMPP was issued in March 2017.

Currently, the CMPP is developing the first statutory Regional Marine Plan for the Clyde, and therefore CMPP Members have agreed that the CMPP will not respond to any consultations until the Regional Marine Plan has been agreed by Scottish Ministers, except in exceptional cases (e.g. where an application does not consider the National Marine Plan). Prior to the adoption of a Clyde Regional Marine Plan by Ministers, where it is deemed necessary to respond to a consultation, responses will be based on the policies and advice within the UK Marine Policy Statement, the Scottish National Marine Plan and the Clyde SSMEI Marine Spatial Plan.

For more information on Marine Licensing, for example which activities require a licence, guidance for applicants and information on the pre-application process, please visit the MS-LOT website.