COUNCIL LAUNCHES LOCH FYNE MANAGEMENT PLAN

The approved version of a document designed to guide and inform anyone with an interest in Scotland’s longest and deepest sea loch and its surrounding coastline has now been launched.

The Loch Fyne Integrated Coastal Zone Management (ICZM) Plan was approved by Argyll and Bute Council last month – following extensive consultation with all stakeholders - and adopted as supplementary planning guidance.

In addition, the Council has developed a marine version of its ‘LocalView’ online mapping system, which allows access to the Loch Fyne ICZM Plan through an interactive web-based mapping tool.

LocalView allows maps of Loch Fyne to be viewed at different scales, displaying individual layers of information which have influenced the plan’s policies and recommendations.

Different activities and interests can be identified in specific locations, and links are provided to individual sections of the ICZM Plan where guidance on future use and development, including policies for the development of aquaculture, can be viewed.

Councillor Robert Macintyre, Argyll and Bute’s Spokesperson for Economy, Environment and Rural Affairs, welcomed the Plan’s launch.

“The coastal area of Argyll and Bute is one of our prime assets. It provides a unique resource from which present and future economic, social, and environmental well-being can be derived,” he said.

“It is a living and working environment, home to a large proportion of our population, and hosts a great diversity of industrial and recreational activities, each playing an important role in the area’s economy”.

Councillor Macintyre stressed that the ICZM Plan complements the Argyll and Bute Development Plan (Structure and Local Plan), and will be a significant piece of guidance for the use and development of the coastal zone of Loch Fyne over the next five years.

“It is designed to assist decision-making in relation to development proposals, help minimise conflicts of interest and guide future investment,” he added.

“The policies and recommendations have been formulated after reviewing the current use of the area and identifying key coastal management issues and development opportunities.

“Underpinning the entire process has been extensive consultations with local communities, stakeholders and relevant and competent authorities. Our aspiration is that this plan will be used by these same groups and organisations, to guide sustainable management of the coastal and marine resource in order to secure the future of both the natural environment and the economic needs of the communities which are dependent on it.”

The ICZM Plan can now be viewed or downloaded from the Council website at www.argyll-bute.gov.uk/lochfyne. Hard copies and CD copies will be available in the New Year.

The project has been funded by the European Union, Highlands & islands Partnership Programme, Scottish Natural Heritage, The Crown Estate, Argyll & The Islands Community Economic Development Programme and Argyll and Bute Council.