1.0 INTRODUCTION

Purpose of the Environmental Report

1.1 The Scottish Government commenced the Scottish Ferries Review in 2008. The review has culminated in the preparation of a Draft Ferries Plan, which sets out the Scottish Government's proposals for the provision and support of Scotland's ferry services over the next decade. The Draft Ferries Plan has now been published for consultation, and is available at : http://www.transportscotland.gov.uk/strategy-and-research/publications-and-consultations/draft-ferries-plan-consultation.

1.2 The Scottish Ferries Review falls under Section 5(4) of the Environmental Assessment (Scotland) Act 2005. A combined screening and scoping report was submitted to the SEA Gateway in June 2009, inviting formal views from the Consultation Authorities¹. The outcome of the screening was a determination by the Scottish Government that the Ferries Review would be likely to have significant environmental effects. Key facts about the Ferries Review and Draft Ferries Plan are provided in Table 1.

1.3 A strategic environmental assessment (SEA) has therefore been undertaken in accordance with the requirements of the Environmental Assessment (Scotland) Act 2005. The purpose of the SEA is to integrate environmental factors into the preparation of the Draft Ferries Plan, by identifying potential environmental effects and measures for their mitigation, and ensuring that this information is made available when decisions are made. This Environmental Report sets out the results of the assessment and invites views from the Consultation Authorities (SNH, SEPA and Historic Scotland) and the general public.

Structure of the Environmental Report

1.4 The remainder of this report is structured as follows:

Chapter 2 describes the Draft Ferries Plan, including its policy context.
Chapter 3 describes the approach to the SEA.
Chapter 4 provides more information about the fares policy set out in the Draft Ferries Plan and its potential environmental effects.
Chapters 5-11 set out the potential effects of the proposals for the provision of routes and services. Each chapter covers a different environmental topic, describing the baseline situation, assessing the potential environmental effects of the Draft Ferries Plan, and identifying mitigation measures where appropriate. The different environmental topics covered include: cetaceans; invasive non-native species; erosion; air quality; water quality; marine litter; and greenhouse gas emissions.
Chapter 12 summarises the results of the assessment, including proposed mitigation measures and monitoring.
Chapter 13 provides conclusions and next steps.
Detailed information is provided in the appendices.

Table 1. Key facts about the Scottish Ferries Review/ Draft Ferries Plan
Responsible Authority	The Scottish Government/ Transport Scotland
Title	Scottish Ferry Services: Draft Plan for Consultation
Purpose	The Scottish Government has undertaken a comprehensive review of ferry services in Scotland. The Review is now complete and the Draft Ferries Plan invites opinions and views about the conclusions reached. After responses have been received and considered, a final Ferries Plan will be published setting out the Scottish Government's proposals for the provision and support of Scotland's ferry services over the next decade.
What prompted the plan?	Scotland's National Transport Strategy (2006) made a commitment to conduct a comprehensive review of lifeline ferry services in Scotland, in order to develop a long-term strategy. This commitment was reinforced by the Minister for Transport, Infrastructure and Climate Change in 2008.
Subject	Transport: Scottish ferry services
Period covered	Period of Ferries Plan is 2012-2022
Frequency of updates	A 'needs based' assessment to determine the routes and service each community should receive will be undertaken in line with tendering timetables.
Area covered	Scotland
Summary of nature/ content	The Draft Ferries Plan provides a framework for the future delivery and operation of ferry services in Scotland, and sets out the Scottish Government's proposals for the provision and support of Scotland's ferry services over the next decade.
Are there any proposed objectives?	The purpose of the Review is set out in the 2010 consultation document; these objectives are reinforced in the Draft Ferries Plan. The Review has been undertaken in light of the objectives of Scotland's National Transport Strategy and the Scottish Government.
First point of contact	Colin Grieve Transport Scotland Ferries Unit Victoria Quay Edinburgh EH6 6QQ Tel: 0131-244-1539 Email: colin.grieve@transportscotland.gsi.gov.uk
Date	December 2011