The draft maritime spatial plan for Finland 2030 is complete and consultation is now underway – Have your say!

The draft maritime spatial plan covering Finland’s territorial waters and exclusive economic zone is complete. The councils of coastal regions have worked together to prepare three draft maritime spatial plans for the following planning areas: 1. The Gulf of Finland, 2. The Archipelago Sea and the southern Sea of Bothnia, and 3. The northern Sea of Bothnia, Kvarken, and the Bay of Bothnia.

The consultation on the draft maritime spatial plan will run from 18 May to 17 June 2020. The plan is only available in digital form at www.merialuesuunnitelma.fi.

The draft plan consists of the actual plan map, supported by the following planning materials, which are on public display:

  • Future scenarios for Finnish marine areas. The scenarios describe various potential developments, which have enabled an analysis of the opportunities and threats related to the use of the marine area.
  • The vision for the marine area for 2050, and the development outlooks for each area and roadmaps for maritime sectors for 2030. These have been drafted in collaboration with stakeholders, and they have steered the planning work.
  • The draft maritime spatial plans are backed by overviews of the current state and planning solutions for each planning area.
  • The assessment of the indirect impacts of the maritime spatial plans, describing the environmental, economic and societal impacts of maritime sectors, as well as the overall impacts of the plans.

The regional governments of the councils of coastal regions have made their own decisions to request statements from the authorities and entities to whose sectors or duties the plan is materially relevant and to put the draft on public display to enable opinions to be expressed in accordance with section 67 c of the Land Use and Building Act.

For all of the planning areas, opinions should be given during the consultation period using the feedback form found in the Draft Plans section of the website, and also via the map Maritime spatial plan 2030 – draft.

NB! Authorities and entities that have received a request for a statement should give their statements on the form that can be accessed by clicking the link on the request for the statement.