Opportunities for improved social sustainability in marine governance

The project, ‘Marine planning reform for better governance’, brought MMO staff working in marine planning, evidence and evaluation, together with a panel of academic researchers and practitioners who have expertise in environmental governance and social impact. The project facilitated exchange of expert knowledge between the University of Exeter and the MMO to generate new ideas about how culture and practice in marine planning and evidence gathering can be changed.

The report identifies barriers and makes key recommendations to drive change in marine governance decision-making that empowers coastal communities and considers the social impacts from marine developments.

View the full report here

The project found that:

• There are challenges in exchanging social data and information without good infrastructure and barriers to integrated working between organisations. This reduces the ability of marine decision-making to reach the public as widely as it could.
• A culture of risk aversion and siloed working makes it difficult to innovate and try new approaches in marine governance.
• A lack of integration between the National Planning Policy Framework and the Marine Planning system could be a barrier.
• There was a question about whether the formal marine planning consultation process is reaching everyone who might usefully shape the plans.
• Local Authorities need more support for their role in marine decision-making and this might be helped by increased recognition of developments in the marine sector within wider national planning.

The report recommend:

• The MMO:
  • Develop a shared vision for marine governance.
  • Improve integration of data and knowledge exchange across MMO teams.
  • Encourage a culture of systems thinking and ambition to deliver fairer decision-making for England’s seas.
  • Improve the reach of consultations and increase the diversity of participants.
  • Develop a social policy that places requirements directly upon developers.
• Better resourcing within coastal Local Authorities for marine and coastal decision-making.
• The planning sector better recognises marine planning. by the planning sector is also discussed.
• That all agencies involved in marine governance make more use of non-technical evidence to better capture and understand potential social impacts of marine developments.

The project was led by Pamela Buchan, an ACCESS Leadership College Fellow and a marine social scientist at the University of Exeter, and Dr Aisling Lannin, a member of the ACCESS Policy & Practice Working Group and Head of Evidence and Evaluation at the MMO.

Workshop:

The University of Exeter and MMO collaborative research team led a one-day, face-to-face, Knowledge Exchange workshop on Friday 23 June 2023. The workshop participants were MMO staff from the Marine Planning and Evidence and Evaluation Teams, and the Strategic Renewables Unit. The workshop was facilitated by Dr Katie Orchel and Rosie Walker from the University of Exeter.

The workshop consisted of two halves: a morning of presentations from academic and practitioner experts, and an afternoon of group problem-solving activities.

Speaker presentations were provocations about social impact and participatory governance.

Speakers:

• Dr Pamela Buchan, University of Exeter: Participation Beyond the Low Water Mark
• Professor Patrick Devine-Wright, University of Exeter: Place based approaches to the siting of marine energy infrastructures
• Helen Elphick, The Crown Estate: Marine Planning Reform for Better Governance: Knowledge Exchange Workshop
• Rebecca MacDonald-Lofts, Local Government Association Coastal Special Interest Group: Considerations from a coastal community perspective

View the full report here