Allonby Bay Highly Protected Marine Area Designation Order Made
The Designation Orders for the first three Highly Protected Marine Areas (HPMAs) in English waters have been made. This means they are now available to view at https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukmo/2023. They will each come into force on the 5th of July 2023.
The designation of these sites reinforces the Government’s commitment to introducing HPMAs following the Benyon Review, complementing our existing MPA network and our commitments to 30by30 within the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework.
HPMAs will have the highest levels of protection in our seas enabling nature to fully recover, increasing marine biodiversity and supporting climate-resilient ecosystems to thrive.
The three sites are:
- Allonby Bay
- Dolphin Head
- North East of Farnes Deep
Marine and Coastal Access Act 2009 (MCAA) duties, including those under s125 and s126, will apply to the HPMAs immediately from today. This means that s126 duties will apply to any new authorisations being considered by public authorities in respect of the designated areas, noting candidate HPMAs have been a material consideration since consultation.
Other management measures in respect of the HPMAs are not coming into effect immediately. The Marine Management Organisation will be implementing these, including byelaws, to manage activities within HPMAs and will notify on those measures in due course.
Additional information regarding the HPMA designation will be available in July.