National Marine Plan 2 Planning Position Statement
Feedback updated 26 Sep 2025
We asked
The development of Scotland’s National Marine Plan 2 (NMP2) was publicly announced in October 2022. This was in response to statutory reviews of the adopted National Marine Plan (NMP) undertaken in 2018 and 2021, which found that the existing plan did not adequately reflect current policy and legislation evolution, or emerging issues, including increased competition for space or the twin climate and biodiversity crises.
In November 2024 the Scottish Government published the NMP2 Planning Position Statement (PPS), which:
- summarised key work to develop the NMP2
- consolidated stakeholder feedback
- set-out the latest iteration of high-level objectives and policy ideas for NMP2.
The NMP2 PPS consultation ran alongside using the Scottish Government’s Citizen Space consultation portal from 5 November 2024 to 7 February 2025 as an opportunity for stakeholders to comment and help shape the draft NMP2. Responses via email and post were also accepted and entered manually into the Citizen Space portal to allow for full analysis to be conducted.
Consultees were guided through the online consultation with references highlighting the corresponding section of the PPS document to be read before answering the questions. An Easy Read version of the PPS and an Explainer video were shared on social media and through online newsletters to help respondents identify where the PPS featured in overall NMP2 development.
The consultation asked for thoughts and views on 13 questions covering the following themes:
- Climate Change Mitigation and Adaptation
- Nature
- Sustainable Marine Economy
- Wellbeing and Accessibility
- Implementation
You said
One hundred and two responses were received, read and considered by the Marine Directorate NMP2 team. A list of respondents is available, where permission has been given to name the organisation. Responses were received from a wide range of individuals, stakeholder groups and decision makers representing the varied interest in how we use and protect our seas.
The largest single group of respondents was from the public sector with 18% of the overall responses. This was followed closely by environmental non-governmental organisations (ENGOs) with 17%, then fishers with 14% (this grouping also included fisheries associations and fish producer organisations).
We did
We have taken account of the responses received and are using these to inform our next steps in terms of engagement and NMP2 development.
The responses highlight the divergent views held by our stakeholders. Several key issues affecting marine planning have been identified and are more fully explored in the NMP2 PPS Consultation Analysis Report (published in August 2025).
We want NMP2 to support the sustainable development of our seas, protect our marine environment, and deliver for our coastal communities, so it is essential that we continue to speak and work with those who know our seas best.
Therefore, the anticipated consultation on a draft NMP2 has been postponed to allow for further consideration of both the feedback received, and our intended approach to the draft NMP2.
We would like to thank everyone who responded for providing us with their views, an update on anticipated timing will be communicated in due course.
Published responses
View submitted responses where consent has been given to publish the response.
Overview
Scotland adopted its first National Marine Plan in 2015 to help manage the use of Scotland’s seas in a sustainable way.
In 2022 work began to create an updated national marine plan, to better reflect how the sea is currently being used, and to plan for its continued and sustainable future use. Past, present and future challenges mean we need to make the right choices for our shared marine space.
A Planning Position Statement (PPS) summarising all that work has now been published and provides an early opportunity for comment on the proposed policy ideas to be included in NMP2, ultimately helping to shape the plan from the outset.
Read the consultation paper. The consultation paper contains full background information for this consultation. You may find it useful to read or refer to while responding.
Useful information about responding to this consultation
As you complete your response, each page will provide the option to 'Save and come back later' at the bottom. This means you can save your progress and return to the consultation at any time before it closes. If you don't use this feature and leave the consultation midway through, your response will be lost.
Once you have submitted your response, you can enter your email address to get a pdf copy of your answers sent to you.
On the 'About You' page at the end of this consultation, organisations will have the opportunity to tell us more about their work and/or how their response was informed.
After the consultation has closed there will be a few months delay before any responses are published. This is because we must check any responses to be published abide by our Terms of Use.
A analysis report will usually be published some months after the consultation has closed. This report will summarise the findings based on all responses submitted. It will be published on the Scottish Government website and you may be notified about it if you choose to share your email address with us. You can also join our consulation mailing list where we regularly list newly published analysis reports (as well as new consultations).
What happens next
Where respondents have given permission for their response to be made public, and after we have checked that they contain no potentially defamatory material, responses will be made available to the public at http://consult.gov.scot. If you use the consultation hub to respond, you will receive a copy of your response via email.
Following the closing date, all responses will be analysed and considered along with any other available evidence to help us. Responses will be published where we have been given permission to do so. An analysis report will also be made available.
Interests
- Economy
- Environment and Climate Change
- Main hub
- Marine and Fisheries
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