Social and economic statement of impacts: guidance for applicants

1. Introduction

This document provides guidance in relation to presenting the economic and social impacts of marine projects, including offshore renewables, cables, ports and harbour works, to Scottish Ministers. In particular, it should be used to provide information to accompany applications for marine licences. This will help applicants in providing the type of information that Scottish Ministers require to comply with Scotland’s National Marine Plan policies when deciding on an application. The principles and approaches set out in this guidance provide the basis upon which the economic and social information submitted by applicants will be considered as part of the determination process.

Sections 2 and 3 set out the purpose of this guidance as well as the scope and the intended users. Sections 4 and 5 set out the analytical principles that should be followed, as well as a suggested structure for the Statement of Economic and Social Impacts of Marine Projects (SESI). While the SESI is not a statutory requirement, it can form a significant part of the application process. Scottish Ministers, as the marine licensing authority for Scotland, have powers to require information to be submitted in order for them to determine applications.

Section 6 sets out several key types of economic and social impacts that should be considered in a SESI. This is not an exhaustive list and should be viewed as the minimum required to be presented by applicants. In particular, applicants should consider the specific context of their application and whether going beyond the minimum may strengthen their case to Scottish Ministers, especially for larger projects, those with more significant impacts, or where there may be substantial cumulative impacts upon Scottish communities when considered alongside other projects or activities.

Section 7 highlights further analytical considerations. Section 8 describes how the SESI fits into the application process.

The annexes to this document provide toolkits and methods that applicants may find useful when completing a SESI. Annex D provides a template document that can be used by applicants when preparing a SESI. The examples used in Annex D are illustrative and varied across application types.

This is a document that may be subject to change following review. Users are invited to share feedback on the guidance as well as any identified persistent evidence gaps with MarineAnalyticalUnit@gov.scot.