Supporting local authorities inintegrating coastal and marine issuesinto local planning and decisionmakingA project fundedby CCW and CoastNet

WHY ARE WE DOING IT?The ‘

Making the most of Wales Coast’

ICZM strategyfor Wales, identifies Local Authorities as having animportant management role in the coastal zone.The project will contribute to delivery of two of theWales ICZM Strategy actions

, namely:

•

Work with Local Government to developappropriate guidance on the integration ofcoastal and marine issues within their plansand strategies, in particular communitystrategies and local development plans;

•

Investigate ways of better disseminatinginformation on the condition of the Welshcoastal environment and making this moreaccessible to coastal decision makers andthe communities affected by thosedecisions.WHAT IS IT ABOUT?We recognise that competing demands andstatutory duties can be barriers to integratedworking. We aim to help Local Authorities toovercome these barriers with guidance, and withnetworks for information sharing. In this way we aimto enable Local Authorities to contribute to deliveryof integrated management.WHO IS IT FOR?The project outcomes will be principally for localauthorities in Wales. However, we expect thatothers will also find the project and guidance useful.

Pages 27 & 28, Section 6, The ICZM Strategy for Wales;

HOW WILL WE DO IT?We will work with officers from local authorities toidentify their needs and to develop appropriateguidance, over a period of two years.Through CoastNets’s ongoing programme ofcommunications and events in the UK we willsupport professional development and informationsharing for local authority officers and others fromWales.Phase I project objectives:

•

Identify what guidance Local Authoritieswant and need

•

Identify what Local Authorities can deliverfor ICZM

•

Consider how Local Authorities can bestmake their contribution to ICZM, as the basisfor guidance

•

Identify principle gaps in knowledge andunderstanding (for ICZM delivery)Phase 2 will focus on production and delivery of theguidance.WHAT RESULTS WILL YOU SEE?

•

Guidance on the integration of coastal andmarine issues within local plans andstrategies, particularly community strategiesand local development plans.

•

Recommendations for improveddissemination of information (data andknowledge) on the coastal environment sothat it is more accessible to coastaldecision-makers and the communitiesaffected by those decisions.

In addition the CCW grant will support CoastNet todeliver in the UK activities that are of benefit tocoastal practitioners from Wales:

•

Run events (workshops; conferences)around the UK (including Wales) to bringtogether coastal decision-makers,managers etc around relevant topics

•

Publish a quarterly magazine ‘the Edge’ tocoastal practitioners throughout the UK

•

Run the All Party Parliamentary Group onCoastal and Marine Issues, as a forum forpolicy debate.WHO ARE WE?

CoastNet

is an independent charity, established in1996. We work throughout the UK and beyond topromote sustainable development in coastalregions

. T

o implement this mission:

1. We work with individuals and communities,to promote a just society and to encouragepersonal responsibility in caring for coastalcommunities and environments2. We provide practical knowledge, topromote excellence amongst those workingin coastal policy and practice3. We influence policy through multidisciplinaryresearch, to better understand coastalissues and to generate sustainabledevelopment solutions.4. We develop and implement practicalprojects that promote sustainabledevelopment.The

steering group

for this project comprisesrepresentatives from:

•

Welsh Assembly Government (WAG)

•

Countryside Council for Wales (CCW)

•

Wales Coastal and Maritime Partnership(WCMP)

•

Wales Local Government Association(WLGA)

•

Environment Agency Wales.

HOW CAN YOU CONTACT US?

CoastNetThe GatehouseRowhedge WharfHigh StreetRowhedgeColchester CO5 7ETwww.coastnet.org.ukTel. 01206 728644Email:Alex.midlen@coastnet.org.uk Wales Coastal and Maritime PartnershipTel: 0292 0825 579Email:wcmp@wales.gsi.gov.uk Countryside Council for Walesk.dernie@ccw.gov.uk01248 387294

The

Wales Coastal and Maritime Partnership

(WCMP) was launched with the active involvement andsupport of the Welsh Assembly Government in 2002. The Partnership aims to:

"Provide advice to the Welsh Assembly Government on sustainable development issues affecting the coast and seas of Wales as well as facilitating the exchange of information and dissemination of good practice".

The Partnership, which is actively involved in advising on the development and implementation ofmarine and coastal policy in Wales, comprises of 30 representatives of organisations from the public,private and voluntary sectors. There are four local authority representatives on WCMP, nominated by theWLGA.