Why an organization?

But what is driving this development? Why do nations of the world implement formal planning in their waters and coastal areas? There are of course some differences between countries, but the main reason is generally that it is considered that there is a need for better instruments to ensure environmental protection in waters and coastal areas. Formal planning in waters and coastal areas is also considered to be able to contribute to investment and value creation in waters and coastal areas by creating certainty about the exploitation and protection of these areas in the future. In many places, there is a tendency to see more and more diverse uses in the waters, which leads to competition for places and potential conflicts. Therefore, there is generally an increased need for comprehensive analysis and perspective so that exploitation can be conducted in the most sustainable way and in the most and best possible harmony.

In many countries, energy efficiency, first oil and gas production, and then wind power and even tidal and wave power are the main drivers of the planning work. In Iceland, we are familiar with the discussion about aquaculture, but in addition to the current plans for aquaculture along the coast of Iceland, there are many other uses that have been added to the fledgling exploitation of marine and coastal areas in Iceland in recent years. And the examples show that conflicts between different interests and oversight and coordination between individual licensees and licensees are lacking.

Legislative processes leading up to the election

For some time, there has been a call for a formal planning system for coastal and marine areas. Individual municipalities, regional associations of municipalities and the Association of Local Authorities of Iceland have repeatedly called for a formal planning system for coastal areas.

The Icelandic Parliament is now considering a bill by the Minister of the Environment and Natural Resources on the planning of marine and coastal areas. The preparation of this bill has been quite long. The committee of the Minister of Fisheries and Agriculture’s report from 2011 was considered to lack a comprehensive vision of the operations of Iceland’s marine and coastal areas and plans for the utilisation of the quality of the sea. The committee considered it possible to use national planning policy to formulate the government’s policy on the planning of marine and coastal areas.

The first national planning policy was developed in 2011 based on the new planning law and the Minister of the Environment decided that it should address the planning of marine and coastal areas. The work was not completed before the parliamentary elections in 2013, but a report with analysis of the situation of marine and coastal areas from 2012 is still outstanding.

The first national planning policy was developed under the leadership of the new Minister of the Environment and Natural Resources in the autumn of 2013, and was passed by parliament in March 2016. The first indicator of a general policy on the planning of the waters around Iceland is presented.

The Minister of the Environment and Natural Resources of Iceland commissioned the Icelandic National Planning Agency to compile information for the preparation of a bill on the planning of the marine and coastal areas. The results of this work can be found in the 2014 edition of the Icelandic National Planning Agency on legislation, key concepts and instruments.

In 2014 the Minister of the Environment and Natural Resources appointed a working group to prepare a bill on the law on the organization of the marine and coastal areas. The proposal was submitted in November 2016 and was subsequently published on the website of the Ministry of the Environment and Natural Resources.

Both the national planning processes and the drafting process have involved consultations with professional organizations, stakeholders and other governments on the approach and focus of the work. Many important suggestions were also made in the comments received at the ministry’s presentation of the proposal of the working group on the draft in the winter of 2016/2017, which were taken into consideration in the final drafting process.

Form and content of coastal regional planning

But what kind of a ploy will the structures that will be worked on on the basis of this new legislation, if the bill becomes law?

There is no single absolute rule on how a planning plan is made or what form it takes, neither on the land nor on the sea, but there are still some elements that need to be in place:

• It needs to be clear which administration is responsible for the planning work and finalisation of the plan.

• The planning process must include a clear process of analysing the situation and possibilities in the area in question, with the participation of professional and stakeholders as well as government representatives.

• It needs a democratic decision-making process for the final structure.

• And it needs a clear presentation of both the policy and the provisions set out in the text in the statement and the local decisions shown in the structural summary.

Proposal for a law on the organization of the sea and coastal areas

The Minister of the Environment and Natural Resources, who is currently being discussed by the Icelandic parliament, has two instruments for planning in the marine and coastal areas:

• On the one hand, general planning policy for the marine and coastal areas, which will become part of the national planning policy under the planning law.

• However, the regional coastal zone plan is closest to the country where the specifications and provisions that permit holders for individual projects and activities have to take into account in permitting will be set.

It is assumed that for the preparation of each coastal zone plan a so-called regional council will be appointed, which will consist of representatives of ministries and municipalities. The regional council will be responsible for the preparation of the coastal zone plan, but the Planning Agency will assist the councils in that work.

The planning process and the presentation of planning plans for coastal areas will be comparable to what we know from land-based planning, i.e. the creation of regional and central planning. We are talking about a process with active involvement of professionals, stakeholders and other governments. It is then expected that the coastal planning will take effect with the approval of the Minister of the Environment and Natural Resources.

Regarding the areas to be planned, it is assumed that the national planning policy with its general policy will cover the entire economic territory. However, the coastal area planning will only be carried out for areas close to the coast where planning is considered necessary and thus will cover remote areas and bays, outside of the network. Thus, for example, the Westfjords coastal area plan or the Eastfjords coastal area plan may be created.

Conclusion

Formal planning of the coastal fjords and bays of Iceland has become a necessity. Formal planning is a concrete way to ensure a certainty and certainty about the future use of these areas, which is backed by a thorough analysis of the areas, their potential for use and conflicts of interest.

The current draft project calls for the start of the Westfjords coastal planning in early 2018. This planning work will be based on long experience of planning on land. Also on the experience of those who have worked on the pilot project in Arnarfjörður as well as on the great experience that is building up in our neighboring countries this semester.

Based on the message of Ásdís Hlökk Theodórsdottir, Director of the Icelandic National Planning Agency, at the conference Strandbúnaður 2017, 13.3.2017.