The UK Ministers have approved plans allowing the Marine Management Organisation (MMO) to charge for work carried out on marine licence cases once consent has been given.
The charges, which come into effect from 1 October 2014, relate to requests to change a marine licence once it has been granted (licence variations), and also to monitor activities being carried out under the licence (post consent work).
From 1 October licence holders will be charged a fee if they require any of these services, even if the licence was issued before these powers came into force.
The move seeks to recover costs from industry incurred by the MMO when carrying out the work. It is estimated it will save the Government, and the taxpayer, around £5m over 10 years.
A table of fees and further information have been published on the MMO website in advance of the changes. Fees are based on the MMO’s hourly rate (£94) with maximum fees for less complex licence variations.
The changes are being introduced under section 4 of the Public Bodies Act 2011, follow a public consultation and impact assessment by Defra and approval by the First Delegated Legislation Committee in the House of Commons.
Amongst other things, you may need a marine licence to construct works or deposit or remove any substance or item on/from the seabed.
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