Application Prioritisation Scoring System

Application Prioritisation Scoring System

The Maritime Area Regulatory Authority plays a key role in streamlining the consenting system for the maritime area, including assessing Maritime Area Consent (MAC) applications which are required by developers before development permission can be granted and assessing maritime usage licence applications for specified activities under schedule 7 of the Maritime Area Planning Act 2021. 

MARA has developed a dynamic and structured system for the prioritisation of all MAC and licence applications to provide for effective decision making and to ensure that applications of national strategic importance are prioritised and delivered in a timely manner.  When a complete application is received, the application is ranked according to four specific prioritisation criteria; namely National and European priorities, Policy and Regulatory, Assessment Status and Application Age. The prioritisation of applications is reviewed by MARA on a monthly basis.

Application Prioritisation Criteria

Criteria
Description
National and European priorities
Applications identified as contributing to National and European priorities such as:
Security of energy supply (e.g. Offshore Renewable Energy)
European Telecommunication Cables
Critical State Infrastructure or Utilities         
Risk to Life (emergency works)*
Risk (Routine works)
Compliance, enforcement and regularisation priority
Policy and Regulatory
Applications linked with national policies and regulatory priorities such as:
The National Ports Policy  
Marine Strategy Framework Directive
Water Framework Directive
Climate Action Plan
Designated Maritime Area Plans
Assessment Status
Applications for which all of the required information has been submitted to MARA and the assessment process is close to finalisation.
Application Age
The date on which a complete application was received by MARA.
* an application linked with emergency works where there is a safety risk to life
Application Prioritisation Scoring System