17 March, 2007

SHETLAND and Orkney MP Alistair Carmichael has called for the role of the Crown Estate to be looked into as part of the consultation process into the government's white paper on a Marine Bill.

This week, the UK government has published its thinking on how the marine environment should be managed in the future.

The proposals include:

a.. a new UK-wide system of marine planning
b.. a streamlined, transparent and consistent system for licensing marine developments;
c.. a new mechanism to protect marine biodiversity, including marine protected
areas;
d.. improvements to the management of marine fisheries; and
e.. the creation of a Marine Management Organisation (MMO) to join up our approach to the marine environment.

Yesterday (Friday) Mr Carmichael said the process should also address the role of the Crown Estate in Scotland.

"Local communities should have more say in the management of the seabed," he said.

"I would encourage local people to take part in this process. As things stand, the consultation document talks about setting up a Maritime Management Organisation and how this will work with the Crown Estate. No reference is made to the need to reform the role of the Crown Estate itself.

"Recent work by the Crown Estate Review Group highlighted that progress in this area is long overdue. If this issue is not addressed in the Marine Bill I will do everything I can to amend the bill so that local communities are able to own the seabed."

The Marine Bill White Paper can be found at:
www.defra.gov.uk/corporate/consult/marinebill-whitepaper07/index.htm