Focus Area for policy SAF_01b for safeguarding recreational boating activity

This layer shows the focus area for policy SAF_01b area for safeguarding recreational boating activity (i.e. the areas which are most significant for sector activity), which applies at the date of the publication of the Marine Planning Techincal Technical Statement: Safeguarding policy for recreation boating in March 2023. The focus area for policy SAF_01b for safeguarding recreational boating activity (i.e. the areas which are most significant for sector activity) was derived from the RYA UK Coastal Atlas of Recreational Boating (2019). The RYA Coastal Atlas layers can be found on the Wales Marine Planning Portal under the Sectors category, then Tourism and Recreation subcategory. For context and to provide a more complete picture of recreational boating activity, we recommend viewing the SAF_01b Area together with the original RYA Coastal Atlas layers. The RYA dataset utilises AIS data from recreational vessels for May to September of 2014 and 2017 to determine the intensity of boating activity in coastal waters around the UK. Within the Welsh Marine Plan Area, relative intensity ranges from 0.3 to 3.4 on a logarithmic scale. The focus area was identified based on a minimum intensity of 1 on this scale, indicating areas of medium to high intensity boating activity. To provide a more complete picture of recreational boating activity, the focus area for policy SAF_01b for recreational Boating also includes General Boating Areas as defined in the RYA Atlas. Small, isolated patches of apparent boating activity were removed from the focus area for policy SAF_01b. Boundaries of the focus area were simplified to help ensure that the main recreational boating areas were represented while allowing a clear area to be defined.