National Planning Agency
New Law on the Structure of the Sea and Coast
5th July 2018
A new law on the planning of sea and coastal areas has come into force, no. 88/2018, which was passed by parliament on 12 June last year. The law states that a general policy on planning issues should be established in the sea and coastal areas and that a detailed regional plan should be established in certain areas along the coast of Iceland.
A policy on the planning of the marine and coastal areas within the economic jurisdiction (200 nautical miles) should be developed. The policy will be part of the national planning policy, carried out on the basis of planning laws.
A coastal area plan shall be drawn up for defined areas along the coast of the country, but a coastal area plan is a planning plan that covers the remote areas and bays in a specific area, from the network layers to the annes. First, a coastal area plan shall be drawn up for the Eastfjords and Westfjords. It will define a policy and provide provisions for the exploitation and protection of the area concerned, in line with what is done on land in the main and regional planning. It can, for example, concern energy production at sea, farming of crops, material collection, protection, shipping routes and tourism.
The Minister of the Environment and Natural Resources will appoint a regional council for the preparation of each coastal zone plan. The regional councils will consist of representatives of ministries and municipalities with jurisdiction over the coastal areas in question, as well as representatives of the Association of Local Authorities. The Minister will also appoint a consultation group for the preparation of a coastal zone plan, which will consist of representatives of tourism, outdoor activities and environmental protection organisations, as well as representatives of the Confederation of Icelandic Enterprise.
The Regional Councils will be consulted by the Agency and will carry out the preparation of coastal planning in their capacity. The Agency will also carry out the preparation of a proposal for a policy on the planning of the sea and coastal areas as part of the national planning policy.
In addition to the above, the law stipulates that licensees shall send information to the Agency on licenses issued in sea and coastal areas, which will be published in a land information portal on the Agency’s website.
This summer, the new legislation will be implemented, as will the preparation of the coastal area plan for the Eastfjords and Westfjords. Further information will be published on the website of the Icelandic National Planning Agency in the autumn.