Marine Planning

Developing land next to the sea.

Developing land in an area covered by the tides’ rise and fall may require additional consents and permissions beyond normal planning permission.

Consents are potentially required under the Land and Drainage Act 1991, the Marine and Coastal Access Act 2009 (MMO licence), and local harbour acts.

Proven legal expertise for marine planning

Our experienced Planning team can help you obtain the necessary consents (or exemptions) for projects located between the mean high- and low-water springs levels.

Harbour development

Many harbours and ports have powers to carry out works under local Acts of Parliament, or via harbour orders made under the Harbours Act 1964. This means that an application for planning permission (or other consents) may not be required to carry out new works within the harbour.

In addition, the operator of the harbour or dock may be a statutory undertaker for the purposes of planning, and therefore able to use permitted development rights for new construction within the harbour or docks.