Skip to main content
Consultation outcome

Marine licences: changes to fees, exemptions and self-service licences

From:
Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs
Published:
20 June 2025
Last updated:
7 October 2026 — See all updates

Applies to England and Northern Ireland

This consultation has concluded

Read the full outcome

Summary of responses and government response

HTML

Detail of outcome

On 20 June 2025, Defra launched a public consultation on changes to marine licensing fees, exemptions and self-service licences. The consultation lasted 10 weeks and closed on 29 August 2025.

Defra received 146 responses. This consultation response provides a summary of the responses received and sets out the government response and proposed next steps.

Original consultation

Summary

Seeking views on proposed changes to marine licence fees, exemptions and self-service licences.

This consultation was held on another website.

This consultation ran from
to

Consultation description

We are seeking views on proposed changes to: 

  • increase fees for the marine licence service provided by the Marine Management Organisation (MMO) 
  • change the list of activities that need a marine licence – to add 5 new exemptions, amend 4 exemptions and remove some existing exemptions  
  • add 2 new self-service licences    

These changes aim to improve the marine licensing service’s efficiency and cost recovery, whilst supporting the government’s plans for growth and nature recovery.

The consultation applies to the English inshore and offshore region and the Northern Ireland offshore region regulated by the MMO.

Updates to this page

Published 20 June 2025
Last updated 7 October 2026 Show all updates

  1. Added summary of responses and government response.

  2. Extended the consultation closing date to 29 August 2025.

  3. First published.

Sign up for emails or print this page