An ambitious vision for how the UK’s seabed can continue to support the accelerated delivery of nature recovery and the transition to clean energy has been set out by The Crown Estate, which manages the seabed around England, Wales and Northern Ireland.
Amid increasing demand on the seabed from sectors critical to the UK economy, The Crown Estate has been working with stakeholders to develop initial plans for a ground-breaking Marine Delivery Routemap.
By working with others to create a holistic and long-term view of how the seabed is used, The Crown Estate hopes to achieve a number of important benefits, including:
- Providing visibility and certainty for developers across a wide range of sectors, helping boost market confidence and attract international investment;
- Identifying new areas for biodiversity and nature restoration;
- Accelerating the delivery of offshore renewables, helping address current pinch-points such as consenting and grid connections; and
- Supporting the economic development and prosperity of onshore communities, by enabling a long-term view of the investment needed for key enablers like skills, ports and supply-chain.
The development of a Routemap was one of the key recommendations published in last year’s independent report from Electricity Networks Commissioner Nick Winser. It builds on The Crown Estate’s world-leading expertise in spatial mapping and digital capabilities, which received a global Esri award for geospatial innovation in July this year.
