{"id":73527,"date":"2016-08-25T11:20:00","date_gmt":"2016-08-25T11:20:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/mostafa.openonline.co.uk\/?guid=d86de22573962061d8204779b501e242"},"modified":"2016-08-25T11:53:52","modified_gmt":"2016-08-25T11:53:52","slug":"press-release-agreement-on-way-forward-for-river-thames-regulation","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mostafa.openonline.co.uk\/?p=73527","title":{"rendered":"Press release: Agreement on way forward for River Thames regulation"},"content":{"rendered":"

Updated:<\/em> Picture updated<\/p>\n

\n

The \u2018Thames Concordat\u2019 is a new set of principles both organisations will follow in cases where both the Marine Management Organisation (MMO<\/abbr>) and Port of London Authority (PLA<\/abbr>) have a regulatory remit. It aims to limit duplication for businesses seeking to carry out development in the Thames.<\/p>\n

Under the Marine and Coastal Access Act 2009 (MCAA) the MMO<\/abbr> regulates activities in the marine area. This includes the tidal area of rivers such as the Thames. The PLA<\/abbr> has a statutory responsibility for navigation, hydrodynamics, promoting the use of the river and for licensing works and dredging.<\/p>\n

The Concordat applies to areas where there is duplication between the MMO<\/abbr>\u2019s and the PLA<\/abbr>\u2019s statutory responsibilities. It covers from the PLA<\/abbr>\u2019s seaward limits in the Outer Thames Estuary to its landward limits at Teddington Lock (the Tidal Thames) and tidal tributaries.<\/p>\n

Staff from the MMO<\/abbr> and PLA<\/abbr> will follow five key principles when considering applications for development in the Thames where both organisations have a regulatory remit:<\/p>\n

    \n
  1. provide a single point of entry into the regulatory system for seeking consent for development<\/li>\n
  2. establish a single lead authority for coordinating the requirements of Environmental Impact Assessment Directive or Habitats Regulations Assessments<\/li>\n
  3. act on available opportunities for coordinating, dispensing or deferring regulatory responsibilities<\/li>\n
  4. communicate the likely evidence requirements of all authorities as early as possible in the consent process<\/li>\n
  5. coordinate the advice provided to applicants across their respective organisations<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    The agreement continues the closer working between the two organisations with the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs considering delegating powers under the MCAA from the MMO<\/abbr> to the PLA<\/abbr>.<\/p>\n

    Shaun Nicholson, head of marine licensing at the Marine Management Organisation, said:<\/p>\n

    \n

    Since the MMO<\/abbr> vested in 2010 we\u2019ve continued to develop the marine licensing process which has resulted in a quicker turnaround and improved experience for applicants.<\/p>\n

    This agreement is a blueprint for setting out the more streamlined way in which we want to work in regulating activities in the Thames in future.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

    Jim Trimmer, PLA<\/abbr> director of planning and environment said:<\/p>\n

    \n

    We are pleased to introduce the Thames Concordat, which marks a step forward in developing more efficient regulation on the River Thames.<\/p>\n

    We look forward to further efficiency improvement through the Thames Tideway Tunnel project and ultimately the delegation of marine licensing powers to the PLA<\/abbr>.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

    The Thames agreement is a tailored version of the Coastal Concordat<\/a> which was launched by Defra in Autumn 2013. Through the Coastal Concordat the MMO<\/abbr> other regulators are improving co-ordination on coastal developments. The Concordat aims to enable sustainable growth in the coastal zone and reduce cost and delay for businesses.<\/p>\n

    More information about the Thames Concordat is available on the Government<\/a> and PLA<\/abbr> websites.<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    A streamlined approach to regulating development in the River Thames has been agreed by the MMO and Port of London Authority<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":8,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[13],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/mostafa.openonline.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/73527"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/mostafa.openonline.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/mostafa.openonline.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mostafa.openonline.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/8"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mostafa.openonline.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=73527"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/mostafa.openonline.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/73527\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":73541,"href":"https:\/\/mostafa.openonline.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/73527\/revisions\/73541"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/mostafa.openonline.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=73527"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mostafa.openonline.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=73527"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mostafa.openonline.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=73527"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}