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The policy for maritime spatial planning is set out in The National Planning Policy. The strategy defines the government's coordinated approach to spatial planning across the country, including land, highlands and marine coustal areas.
National Planning Policy 2024-2038
A parliamentary resolution on the National Planning Strategy for the years 2024 to 2038, including a five-year action plan for 2024–2028, was approved by the Icelandic parliament, Alþingi in spring 2024.
Maritime spatial planning is one of the nine key focus areas identified in the strategy. The strategy outlines three overarching objectives: environmental and nature conservation, social well-being and a competitive economy. For each objective, the strategy presents specific priorities along with recommendations for implementation related to planning across Iceland, including the central highlands, rural and urband areas and marine and cooastal zones.
Recommendations that are relevant to marine and coastal spatial planning are marked with the letter (H) in the parliamentary resolution.
In the published version of the policy , the priorities along with the recommendations for implementation are organized by the type of area they apply to. This structure makes it possible to easily access all implementation measures that pertain specifically to maritime spatial planning in one place.
The accompanying Action Plan sets out specific tasks designed to achieve the national planning strategy’s goals. Several of these tasks relate directly or indirectly to marine and coastal spatial planning. The following actions in the plan are directly related to this area of planning:
A regional marine plan will be prepared for Eyjafjörður in accordance with the Act on Marine and Coastal Spatial Planning. The planned area is expected to be defined from Siglunes in the west to Bjarnarfjall in the east.
The Minister shall appoint a regional planning council for the preparation of the regional marine plan for the area, in cooperation with the National Planning Agency. The regional council is responsible for developing of the plan.
A regional marine plan will be prepared for Skjálfandaflói in accordance with the Act on Marine and Coastal Spatial Planning. The planned area is expected to be defined from Bjarnarfjall in the west to Tjörnestá in the east.
The Minister shall appoint a regional planning council for the preparation of the regional marine plan for the area, in cooperation with the National Planning Agency. The regional council is responsible for developing of the plan.
An analysis will be carried out to identify which areas should be prioritized for regional marine planning. This work shall be done in consultation with regional associations of municipalities and advisory bodies, as defined in the Act on Marine and Coastal Spatial Planning. The term advisory bodies refers to specialized agencies responsible for sectors related to the use and protection of marine and coastal areas, as well as water basin committees as defined in the Water Management Act.
An assessment will be made to clarify which authorities are responsible for different decisions concerning the use or protection of marine areas outside the defined coastal area zones, as specified in Act No. 88/2018 on Marine and Coastal Spatial Planning. The decision-making processes will also be reviewed.
Based on this analysis, a proposal will be developed for an effective decision-making framework that ensures the involvement of the relevant authorities and stakeholders responsible for different aspects of marine area use and protection.
