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Sunday, 22 November 2009
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Government, citizens and rights
Marine and Coastal Access Bill
The purpose of this Bill is to improve and simplify arrangements for managing marine development and protecting the marine environment and biodiversity, including a new planning system for the marine area, and to provide greater recreational access to the English coast.
The main elements of the Bill
The main elements of the Bill are to:
- secure a long-distance route around the coast of England, including beaches, cliffs, rocks and dunes, with public access for coastal walking and other recreational activities
- establish a Marine Management Organisation for the waters around England and the UK offshore area
- introduce a new marine planning system, with long-term objectives for the marine area around the UK and, subsequently, the creation of more detailed local marine plans
- streamline the law on licensing marine development so that, as far as possible, only one licence is needed for each development
- provide powers to designate marine conservation zones and to protect those zones from damaging activities
- strengthen and modernise the licensing and management of marine, migratory, freshwater and shellfish fisheries, including creating new Inshore Fisheries and Conservation Authorities and introduce a scheme to manage live fish movement
- streamline and modernise of enforcement powers for fisheries and nature conservation, providing a civil sanctions scheme for licensing and nature conservation offences and an administrative penalty scheme for domestic fisheries offences
Additional links
Draft Legislative Programme
The public consultation on proposals for new laws has ended - the Government will now be considering the responses received
