Get InvolvedThe four MCZ projects around England will have several extra months to deliver their recommendations to the government.
The four MCZ projects around England will have several extra months to deliver their recommendations to the government.
The Marine Conservation Zone Project board agreed to extend several key deadlines at its meeting on December 7th.
The deadline for recommendations for Marine Conservations Zones has been extended to the end of August 2011, while the deadline for the impact assessments being prepared by the projects has been extended until the end of September 2011.
The move is partly in response to new responsibilities that the projects have been given. These include recommendations on what kinds of activities may be restricted in some conservation zones.
James Marsden, chair of the national project board, said: “In response to stakeholders’ concerns, the increased scope of Defra Guidance Note 1 and on taking advice from the four regional MCZ project teams, I’m delighted that the board has agreed extra time to enable the regional projects to complete their MCZ recommendations and impact assessments.”
The revised timeline is now as follows:
· 28 February 2011 (unchanged date): the four MCZ regional projects submit their third progress reports to the Science Advisory Panel.
· 1 June 2011 (unchanged date, but changed scope of what is to be delivered at this time):
On receiving feedback from the Science Advisory Panel, the four MCZ regional projects will be required to deliver draft final proposals, including site boundaries and conservation objectives.
· 31 August 2011 (extended date): the four MCZ regional projects will deliver their final MCZ recommendations to the Science Advisory Panel and the Statutory Nature Conservation Bodies – which are the Joint Nature Conservation Committee and Natural England.
· 30 September 2011 (extended date): the four regional and cumulative impact assessments must be delivered to the Statutory Nature Conservation Bodies.
