How did we get here?

The proposal for an Act of Parliament to enable the effective planning and management of our marine environment has been developing since 2002. It became a Government manifesto commitment in 2005. We worked closely with stakeholders throughout to ensure that the Act will be effective. The steps towards Royal Assent are outlined below.

Origins – 2002 to 2005

The findings of a series of reviews and reports dating from the Marine Stewardship report in 2002 and the "Seas of Change" Government response in 2003 suggest that a new approach to managing all marine activities is needed and legislation required to implement it.

  • 8 December 2004, Tony Blair and Margaret Beckett launch Defra's Five Year Strategy, including plans for a new Marine Bill to ensure greater protection of marine resources and simplify regulation so that all uses of the sea can develop in a sustainable and harmonious way.
  • January 2005, Elliot Morley (then Minister for the marine environment) delivers a keynote speech at the Coastal Futures conference outlining the possible scope and potential benefits of this new marine legislation.

There have been a number of commitments made about the Marine and Coastal Access Bill. The Government's 2005 manifesto commitment was:

"Through a Marine Act, we will introduce a new framework for the seas, based on marine spatial planning, that balances conservation, energy and resource needs. To obtain best value from different uses of our valuable marine resources, we must maintain and protect the ecosystems on which they depend".

Marine Bill Forums – September 2005 and May 2006

  • 26 September 2005 in London
  • 4, 10 and 18 May 2006 in Cardiff, Liverpool and London.
  • Over 200 stakeholders took part.
  • Opinions collected by Defra to inform interested parties about the range of stakeholder views expressed and to foster a positive exchange of ideas during the consultation process.
  • Views expressed were not treated as written consultation responses.

Marine Bill Consultation – March to June 2006

Consultation document published  29 March 2006 explains the areas being considered for a Marine Bill, and asks for views on the strategic direction we should take. Specifically:

  • How to take forward Marine Nature Conservation proposals
  • Possible reform of Marine Licensing regimes
  • What shape Marine Planning could take
  • Whether there is a case for a new Marine Management Organisation and if so, what functions it could undertake.

Summary of responses published 18 October 2006.

Environmental Audit Committee Report: "Proposals for a draft Marine Bill" - 2006

  • Following publication of the Marine Bill consultation in 2006, the Environmental Audit Committee looks at what should be included in a new Marine Bill.
  • Organisations and members of the public are invited to submit memoranda setting out their views. The Committee also takes evidence from Ben Bradshaw MP (then Minister for Local Environment, Marine and Animal Welfare), Wildlife and Countryside Link, the Sea User Developer Group, the British Marine Federation, Scottish Renewables, and the British Wind Energy Association.
  • 25th July 2006, the Committee publishes its report on proposals for a draft Marine Bill (its eighth report of session 2005-06).
  • The report contains sixteen conclusions and recommendations.

Copies of the report can be obtained from The Stationery Office (TSO) outlets and from the Parliamentary Bookshop, 12 Bridge Street, Parliament Square, London SW1A 2JX (020 7219 3890) by quoting House of Commons No 740. The text of the Report is also available through the Committee's internet homepage: www.parliament.uk/parliamentary_committees/ environmental_audit_committee.cfm

“A Sea Change” – A Marine Bill White Paper Consultation – March to June 2007

Marine Bill White Paper, A Sea Change, published  15 March 2007, sets out proposals for:

  • a new UK-wide system of marine planning, to enable more strategic management of our seas;
  • a streamlined, transparent and consistent system for licensing marine developments;
  • a flexible mechanism to protect natural resources, including marine conservation zones with clear objectives;
  • improvements to the management of marine fisheries in relation to England, Wales and Northern Ireland and the ability to share the costs of management with commercial and recreational sectors; and
  • a new body to deliver most of the above (a Marine Management Organisation) for UK (non-devolved) and England functions.

Outcomes:

  • Around 300 individual responses from a wide range of organisations, professionals and the general public and over 8,000 postcards and letters in support of a number of environmental organisations’ campaigns for a Marine Bill.
  • 82% of non-campaign responses state their support for the Bill.
  • Summary of Responses published 17 October 2007.

Publication of the draft Marine Bill, pre-legislative scrutiny, public consultation, and the Government response – April to September 2008

The draft Marine Bill, published in April 2008 includes new sections covering coastal access provisions, and migratory and freshwater fisheries. 

There is more about the background to these parts of the draft Bill on the coastal access pages and the migratory and freshwater fisheries page of this website.

Marine and Coastal Access Bill published – December 2008

The Marine and Coastal Access Bill was published in December 2008.

The Explanatory Notes were published with the Bill. 

Marine and Coastal Access Act 2009 gains Royal Assent – 12 November 2009

The Marine and Coastal Access Act 2009 gained Royal Assent on 12 November 2009.

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Page last modified: 12 November 2009