Consultation on draft Regulations to transpose the Maritime Spatial Planning Directive into Irish law

EU Directive 2014/89/EU establishing a framework for maritime spatial planning was adopted in July 2014. The Directive obliges all coastal Member States to establish maritime spatial plans by 2021. Member States must transpose the Directive into national law by 18th September 2016.

The Department of the Environment, Community and Local Government has drafted regulations intended to transpose the Directive into Irish law. Submissions are invited on the draft regulations.

To assist you we have prepared a guidance document showing the relationship between the articles of the Directive and the regulations.

The participation of stakeholders and the public will be integral to the development of MSP in Ireland. This consultation on the transposing regulations is the first of a number of opportunities for participation that will arise during the MSP life cycle. Details on further participation opportunities during the more substantive steps of the MSP process will be made available on this website as they arise.

The consultation closed on Friday 6 May 2016. A copy of the finalised Regulations and an overview of the consultation are available from the documents drop down menu above.

If you have any queries:

National Marine Planning Framework

Frequently Asked Questions

Further queries can be directed to: MSP@environ.ie

Please note that all submissions provided to the Department of the Environment, Community and Local Government for this purpose may be subject to release under the Freedom of Information Act 2014 and/or the European Communities (Access to Information on the Environment) Regulations 2007 to 2014.

All submissions received will be acknowledged. Relevant issues will be considered by the Department in the context of finalising the regulations for enactment. If matters more relevant to later phases in the process arise in submissions they will be retained for further consideration at the appropriate time.

In the interests of transparency, all comments received (including the name of the person making the comments and the title of the organisation, but not their contact details) will be made fully available online on the Department’s website (www.environ.ie).

It is your responsibility to ensure that material of a private nature is not included in the body of your comments. A separate cover sheet with your contact details should be completed and e-mailed in as a second attachment with your comments.