Janet Finch-Saunders MS, Shadow Minister for Climate Change presented to Members of the Welsh Parliament her legislative proposal for Marine Planning in Wales which passed unanimously. The proposal calling for an urgent response to an absence of marine planning backed by law. The Shadow Minister made the following proposals:
1) make provisions for policies that would help guide the siting of developments away from the most ecologically sensitive areas, minimise the cumulative impacts on vulnerable habitats and species, and provide greater certainty to developers;
2) create a duty for the Welsh Government to facilitate the creation of a national marine development plan, and review it at least once in every Senedd;
3) establish strategic resource areas for marine energy;
4) publish a strategy for reversing seabirds decline;
5) require that offshore wind farms include habitat restoration of the seabed; strategy for sustainable seafood harvesting from within the area of the windfarm and, environmental enhancement measures.
Commenting during the plenary session, Janet Said:
“As we urgently need to move away from Russian hydrocarbons following Putin’s illegal invasion, we must have the best legislation possible which champions marine energy projects and greater energy security, whilst keeping the nature and climate crisis at heart.”
The member went on to highlight the recent Climate Change Committee report finding that:
- There are concerns about barriers to renewable offshore energy generation in Wales, including a paucity in the marine environmental evidence base and complexity and delays in the consenting and licensing process
- There’s widespread concern about NRW’s ability to effectively carry out its roles and responsibilities including monitoring and assessing the condition of marine sites and supporting marine planning
- and that whilst a review to streamline the consenting process is to be welcomed, there is a severe lack of a robust evidence base to underpin development decisions and there are, consequently, inherent risks in ramping up development.
The Shadow Minister emphatically believes that The Welsh Governments failure to meet the deadline to achieve or maintain Good Environmental Status (GES) of marine waters not only shows poor governmental practice and discipline towards Welsh Environmental challenges.
Janet added:
“We are already failing our marine environment. Sadly, the lack of true spatial planning to guide the sustainable use of our seas hinders GES and threatens the upscaling of offshore wind.”
According to the Second State of Natural Resources Report, only 46% of the Marine Protected Area network features are in favourable condition which should raise further alarm around the fact that marine biodiversity is declining.
The Shadow Minister made further comments to which she said:
“We need to create a legally binding National Marine Development Plan and to keep it under regular review. As much as we have a strong commitment to lowering carbon emissions, we must put the full force of our love for this nation into our waters as much as we do on land.”
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Photo:
Janet Finch-Saunders MS
