Defra's plans for revising the Marine management guidance will be published on their website www.guidanceanddata.defra.gov.uk this week. The Marine Management topic covers the following subject areas:

• Marine planning
• Marine protected areas
• Marine regulation & licensing
• Marine fisheries

Each of these subject areas will be open for public comment for 4 weeks from the date they go live on our website. We would value your views on these plans and would appreciate your support in publicising this public feedback exercise among your contacts.

The plans outline proposed content for revised guidance. There are also recommendations for what should happen to existing relevant guidance when Defra’s agencies’ web content is moved to GOV.UK.

The second consultation launched this week is on changes to the H2 Energy Efficiency Guidance to incorporate an annex on performing cost-benefit assessments for installations under Article 14 of the Energy Efficiency Directive. Article 14 (5-8) of the Energy Efficiency Directive (EED) places a requirement on operators of combustion and energy from waste plants greater than 20 MW thermal input to carry out a cost-benefit assessment (CBA) of opportunities for combined heat and power or recovery of waste heat from industrial processes. Click here for more information about the consultation.

Defra are proposing to implement the Article 14 (5-8) requirements through an amendment to the Environmental Permitting Regulations (EPR) 2010. Defra are currently consulting on these regulations and a link to their consultation is here. Please note that this Defra consultation closes on Friday 21 March.