Shellfish WatProtected area designations - amending proposals: partial business and regulatory impact assessment

6. Anticipated impacts (intended and unintended, positive (benefits) and negative impacts) and mitigating actions

6.1 Qualitative impacts for each stakeholder on all 3 options

Shellfish producers

Option 1

• Keeps the status quo: no change to where production happens.

Option 2

• Positive impact of larger proportion of shellfish production within an SWPA.
• Potential negative impact to growth of de-designations, although risk appears small given time some SWPAs have remained without production sites.

Option 3

• Positive impact although lower proportion of production within SWPA, greater number of empty SWPAs to encourage expansion.
• Potential negative impact (although lower than Option 2) to growth of de-designations, although risk appears small given time some SWPAs have remained without production sites.

Scottish Water

Option 1

• No Change, but worth noting carbon and financial costs of additional wastewater treatment to protect SWPAs without production currently.

Option 2

• Negative impact from additional assets included in new SWPA designations.
• Brings additional assets into SWPA boundaries, creating direct negative impacts via new treatment or infrastructure obligations.

Option 3

• No significant impact.

Local communities & householders

Option 1

• No change to current obligations or benefits.

Option 2

• Potentially small positive impact from supporting the shellfish production industry, e.g. jobs.
• Some potential, but likely small, negative impacts from SWPAs on householders as ‘dischargers’ to the water environment, e.g. need to upgrade private wastewater systems.

Option 3

• Potentially small positive impact from supporting the shellfish production industry, e.g. jobs.
• Some potential negative, but likely small, impacts from SWPAs on householders as ‘dischargers’ to the water environment, e.g. need to upgrade private wastewater systems.

SEPA

Option 1

• No change in workload or enforcement responsibilities.

Option 2

• Potential negative impact due to a possible increased need for pollution investigations at new SWPAs.

Option 3

• Potential negative impact due to a possible increased need for pollution investigations at new SWPAs. However, likelihood of these being needed is lower than Option 2.