7.2 Integrated Land and Marine Planning

7.2 Integrated Land and Marine Planning

The Key EU Directives underpinning integrated land and marine planning in Ireland are the Marine Strategy Framework (MSFD), Maritime Spatial Planning (MSP) and Water Framework Directives (WFD). Compliance with MSFD will play a key part in protecting mobile species and the marine environment from threats such as climate change, ocean warming, ocean acidification, overfishing, marine litter and pollution and to ensure sustainable use of shared resources particularly with regard to renewable energies of offshore wind, wave and tidal. While most of our coastal waters are of good or high status, there are particular pressures on estuaries as areas of intensive commercial and recreational activities.

Effective Integrated Land and Marine Planning is about planning when and where human activities take place at sea, ensuring these activities are as sustainable as possible and engaging stakeholders in the planning of maritime activities. At present, a National Maritime Spatial Plan is being prepared by government. This will be the marine counterpart of the National Planning Framework and will be at the top of the hierarchy of plans and sectoral policies such as offshore energy, port development and the marine environment. It will cover the entire maritime area; the coastal zone including landsea interactions, the Dublin Bay Biosphere, territorial seas, the Exclusive Economic Zone, and international co-ordination.

See Chapter 8 Connectivity and Chapter 10 Infrastructure for additional ports and harbours policies.

REGIONAL POLICY OBJECTIVES:

Integrated Land and Marine Planning

RPO 7.1: To ensure consistency and alignment between the upcoming National Maritime Spatial Plan (due in 2021) and regional approaches to marine spatial planning and to integrate the Marine Strategy Framework Directive and Marine Spatial Planning implementation into future land use plans in the Region in recognition of the opportunity to harness Ireland’s ocean potential.

More detailed regional maritime spatial plans may be required at a later date41, offering an opportunity for further stakeholder engagement and integration of marine and territorial plans over the lifetime of the RSES. As terrestrial and marine ecosystems are closely connected, the Regional Assemblies and the coastal local authorities have an important role in ensuring integration of land and marine planning within the Region and with Northern Ireland to ensure that management of coasts and marine waters is on an all-island basis.

RPO 7.2: To achieve and maintain ‘Good Environmental Status’ for marine waters and to ensure the sustainable use of shared marine resources in the Region, and to promote the development of a cross-boundary and cross-border strategic management and stakeholder engagement framework to protect the marine environment.

CASE STUDY:
The Celtic Seas Partnership
The Celtic Seas Partnership has developed a strategic
management framework and stakeholder engagement model for Dublin Bay as part of the Celtic Seas partnership. The project built partnerships between people and organisations to support local level implementation of the Marine Strategy Framework Directive, promote better understanding of marine resources, common goals and adoption of an ecosystem-based approach. To aid marine management and monitoring, EMRA worked in collaboration with Maynooth University to develop a data dashboard for Dublin Bay42.

41 The Department of Housing, Planning and Local Government is implementing MSP in Ireland, the Marine Institute provide technical and scientific advice.

42 http://www.celticseaspartnership.eu/Celtic-seas-partnership/dublin-bay/

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Environment and Climate

Coastal Dynamics

The Region’s east coast is constantly changing due to a variety of natural and cultural processes such as coastal erosion, dune retreat and harbour sedimentation. These processes occur through the movement of sediment by wind or waves, storm impacts, the destabilising effect of vegetation removal, and human activity. Our coastal areas are a key driver for leisure and tourism however, and they need to be managed carefully to sustain coastal character and the quality of the environment.

Coastal erosion and flooding have the potential to seriously affect properties, businesses, transport infrastructure, coastal habitats and cultural heritage sites. Many areas are experiencing ‘coastal squeeze’ from increasing population and development pressures and the effects of climate change, with the east coast particularly vulnerable to sea level rise due to the large proportion of the population living in close proximity to the coast (See also Section 7.9 Climate Change).

The Integrated Coastal Zone Management (ICZM) approach can assist in meeting obligations under the WFD, MSFD, and Nature Directives. ICZM involves coastal stakeholders coming together to enable more joined-up thinking and coherent policy for the sustainable management of all aspects of the coastal zone including; improved governance, stakeholder engagement and participation, data collection and monitoring. The National Adaptation Framework (NAF) and the National Mitigation Plan (NMP) set out the national strategy to adapt to and reduce climate vulnerability.

The development of strategic coastal flood and erosion hazard maps for the national coastline43, can be used by local authorities to inform assessment of potential hazards associated with future proposed development, to guide decisions on local coastal planning and development, and to develop appropriate plans and strategies for the sustainable management of coastlines including the identification, prioritisation and, subject to the availability of resources, the implementation of coastal protection works both of a structural and non-structural nature.

The combination of river flooding during storms and marine surges can create severe flood events in coastal areas. These effects are likely to increase over the lifetime of the RSES due to a greater frequency of climate driven extreme weather events. Coastal flooding is covered by the 2009 Guidelines on the Planning System and Flood Risk Management. See also Section 7.4 Flooding.

REGIONAL POLICY OBJECTIVES:

The primary areas of potential coastal erosion risk for the north east coast and south east coast are: Shanganagh to Bray, Greystones, Ballygannon to Five Mile Point, Five Mile Point to Wicklow, Portrane, Skerries, Balbriggan, Bettystown to Laytown, Clogher Head to Baltray, Dunany Point to Cruisetown, Salterstown to Dunany Point, Annagassan and Greenore.

Coastal Dynamics

RPO 7.3: EMRA will support the use of Integrated Coastal Zone Management (ICZM) to enable collaborative and stakeholder engagement approaches to the management and protection of coastal resources against coastal erosion, flooding and other threats.

Because intervention within a coastal area may cause problems further along the coast, any proposed intervention measures are best developed in conjunction with a coastal erosion risk management study, which will carefully investigate the problem and explore the full range of management options. The OPW has published guidelines for coastal erosion risk management measures and funding applications under the Minor Flood Mitigation Works and Coastal Protection Scheme.

RPO 7.4: Statutory land use plans shall take account of the risk of coastal erosion, whereby new development should be avoided in areas at risk of coastal erosion to the greatest extent practicable.

43 The Irish Coastal Protection Strategy Study (ICPSS), OPW

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Regional Spatial & Economic Strategy

Growing the Blue Economy

Maritime Heritage

As an island nation, we are highly dependent on our seas and Ireland’s marine sector or blue economy is an important and growing part of the national economy. Recent years have seen significant growth in the sector and increased spending on marine research. Harnessing our Ocean Wealth – An Integrated Marine Plan for Ireland (HOOW) targets a doubling of the value of the maritime economy by 2030 including; shipping, maritime transport, sea fisheries, aquaculture, tourism and energy. One of the future challenges will be to align ‘blue growth’ with conservation of biodiversity and ecosystem health, while adhering to the objectives of the MSFD, MSP and WFD. See Chapter 6 Economy and Employment for the marine economy.

Underwater cultural heritage can be found in many forms and in all underwater environments including the coastal waters and foreshore areas of the Region. Underwater cultural heritage is also found in the Region’s numerous lakes, rivers and canals. Submerged monuments can be identified from the Record of Monuments and Places and are subject to statutory protection established under section 12 of the National Monuments (Amendment) Act 1994.

The UNESCO 2001 Convention on the Protection of the Underwater Cultural Heritage is the foremost international legal reference for the protection of underwater cultural heritage. It creates common criteria and best practice standards for the protection of underwater cultural heritage to promote its safeguarding.

Fisheries and Aquaculture

Ship wreck sites over 100 years old should be both protected and enhanced. To ensure the protection of historic wrecks from potential development impacts local authorities should seek to protect and promote the value of underwater cultural heritage and cultural tourism, which could include diving on wrecks, coastal wreck trails and maritime heritage tours. As such, maritime villages and towns represent a significant cultural heritage resource and are an integral part of the Region’s built and cultural maritime heritage.

Fishing is a substantial sub-sector in the Region, with Howth being one of six national Fishery Harbour Centres and a number of small fisheries clusters along the eastern seaboard including Wicklow, Clogherhead and Dún Laoghaire. While the traditional fishing industry faces challenges in relation to seasonal employment, fish stocks and coastal hazards, there are also opportunities for diversification and development of bio resources including seafood, aquaculture and offshore renewables. MSP will play a key role in managing the environmental impacts of ‘blue growth’ on marine biodiversity, introduction and/ or spread of invasive species and increased pollution.

REGIONAL POLICY OBJECTIVES:

Maritime Heritage

See Chapter 8 Connectivity for additional policies on ports.

RPO 7.6: Local authorities shall include in development plans, where relevant, policies for the protection and enhancement of ship wrecks and underwater cultural heritage and shall consult the Wreck Inventory of Ireland Database when assessing planning applications located in marine, riverine or lacustrine environments.

REGIONAL POLICY OBJECTIVE:

Fisheries and Aquaculture

RPO 7.5: EMRA shall work with coastal stakeholders to support the sustainable development of the national Fishery Harbour Centre in Howth and the sustainable growth of the seafood and on-shore aquaculture sector in the Region, and to ensure that marine resources are sustainably managed and that planned activities on land do not adversely affect the marine economy and environment.

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Environment and Climate