Marine and Coastal Restoration Plan: strategic environmental assessment post-adoption statement

2 The Strategic Environmental Assessment Process

2.1.1 In line with the Environmental Assessment of Plans and Programmes Regulations 2004 (“the 2004 Regulations”)^[3] and The Environmental Assessment (Scotland) Act 2005^[4] (“the 2005 Act”), Scottish Ministers have applied the SEA process as part of the development of the Marine and Coastal Restoration Plan^[5]. SEA is a way of examining plans, programmes and strategies as they develop, to identify any significant effects they may have on the environment. It ensures that environmental considerations are taken into account. SEA also aims to build in mitigation measures, to avoid or minimise any potentially significant adverse effects on the environment and look for opportunities to enhance a strategy’s environmental performance.

2.1.2 This SEA process began with the production of a Scoping Report which was published in January 2025, setting out the proposed approach to the SEA, including the proposed scope and level of detail. Representations received from the SEA Consultation Authorities^[6] at the scoping stage helped to inform the following stages of the SEA process.

2.1.3 Following the scoping stage, the assessment stage of the SEA was progressed, and the production of the SEA Environmental Report was published for consultation on 29 July 2025^[7], together with a partial Business and Regulatory Impact Assessment (BRIA)^[8].

2.1.4 Following consultation, an independent analysis of all consultation responses received was published^[9]. The Scottish Government’s response to the consultation^[10] outlines how the views expressed in the consultation helped to inform the final Plan.

2.1.5 This Post Adoption Statement concludes the SEA process and sets out the ways in which the findings of the SEA Environmental Report and the views expressed by consultees have been taken into account.

2.1.6 Section 18(3) of the 2005 Act and Part 4 of the 2004 Regulations sets out the information that should be included in the Post Adoption Statement. This can be summarised as:

• How the environmental considerations have been integrated into the plan, programme, or strategy (Section 3);
• How the Environmental Report has been taken into account (Section 4);
• How the opinions of consultees have been taken into account (Section 5);
• The reasons for choosing the plan, programme or strategy as adopted, in light of the other reasonable alternatives considered (Section 6); and
• The measures to be taken to monitor the significant environmental effects of the implementation of the plan, programme or strategy (Section 7).