(a)

why should we create the Plymouth Sound National Marine Park -

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Plymouth Sound and the Tamar Estuaries Marine Protected Area covered five times the size of the City;

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Plymouth was home to one of the largest fish markets in the UK and an incredibly important asset for the UK fishing industry;

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the waters were currently managed collaboratively by the Tamar Estuaries Consultative Forum that brought together the 18 organisations with statutory responsibilities for the waters;

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HMNB Devonport, the largest naval base in Western Europe was located within the Sound;

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the marine sector in Plymouth employed over 7,100 people;

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like the National Parks on land, there was a huge level of support for and interest in the marine environment with 116 million day trips to the UK coast recorded in 2017;

(b)

a legacy we can create together;

(c)

engagement -

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60 face to face meetings had been held;

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160 individuals and organisations contributed to the first engagement exercise providing detailed comments, views and challenges;

(d)

proposed objectives to -

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establish the UK’s first national Marine Park in Plymouth Sound;

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develop Marine Citizenship – increasing ownership, understanding and use of the marine environment, utilising this enhanced engagement to improve community health and wellbeing;

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create a greater sense of public and business engagement and pride in the waters around Plymouth, and enhance and celebrate the natural beauty and wildlife in and around our coastal waters;

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promote truly sustainable use of Plymouth Sound, carefully balancing social, economic and environment needs to deliver a world-class environment that had a positive impact for everyone;

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develop a framework for National Marine Parks that can be replicated across the UK, not just in the far South West, leading to a network of these special places;

(e)

next steps included -

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translate the work and commitment form the City and surrounding communities into a meaningful declaration in the autumn;

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continue to undertake all work collaboratively with those who live, work, protect and enjoy Plymouth Sound as we develop and embed the National Marine Park;

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develop a business plan for the National Marine Park within the first year that would set a sustainable future for the Park;

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continue to work with others at a national level to ensure that Plymouth  Sound was the first in a network of National Marine Parks.

(f)

whether Plymouth would be in the first in the country to establish a National Marine Park;

(g)

whether the National Marine Park would be a legal entity;

(h)

what mechanism was in place to ensure the engagement of all the relevant agencies and organisations, in order to establish the Marine Park;

(i)

whether engagement had been undertaken with the other local authorities (Cornwall Council, Devon County Council and South Hams District Council);

(j)

what measures would be put in place to effectively manage the balance between social, economic and environmental needs of this area;

(k)

whether there was a conscious effort, within this process, to connect residents of the City to the Park.

whether there had been a conscious effort, within this process, to connect the residents of the City to the Marine Park.