Marine spatial planning

Abstract

Both the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland have introduced marine legislation and policy to underpin an integrated system of marine governance, which includes marine spatial planning as a core delivery mechanism. However, questions have been raised about the degree of integration that will be achieved through the implementation of these new interventions while the impact of Brexit and the outworking of the 2019 Protocol on Ireland / Northern Ireland may well lead to further marine governance fragmentation on the island of Ireland and between Great Britain and Northern Ireland. It is against this multifaceted background that this chapter explores how marine spatial planning is given practical effect in a Northern Ireland context. Attention is drawn to the fragmented nature of marine governance in Northern Ireland, to the evolving new marine governance regime for the region and to significant policy developments in the Republic of Ireland.