The report went on to look at how the waterfront strategy and the Regional Spatial Strategy will help safeguard the use of appropriate sites for marine companies.

 Previously there has been little guidance for local authorities in ensuring the future of marine facilities in the development of waterfront sites.  But the development of Marine South East and SEEDA’s waterfront strategy, which included important imput from key partners including the British Marine Federation, local authorities and Port City Futures, will help authorities make sure that the marine industry continues to have access to world class sites, such as a possible  super yacht facility at Portchester, which is currently being considered.

 This could have a significant effect on future provision for the marine industry in the face of pressures for increased housing needs amongst other planning issues.

 Jonathan Williams, Marine South East chief executive, believes that this latest report is real progress for the industry but he warned, 'This isn’t the end of the issue, the inspectors’ recommendations need to be reflected in the final regional spatial strategy, and we then need to ensure that the resulting policy is reflected in individual planning cases.'

 The report looked at how the waterfront strategy and the Regional Spatial Strategy will help safeguard the use of appropriate sites for marine companies.

 It stated, 'There is a wider issue in relation to industries within the supply chain for ports and marinas. We heard that the outcome of the current pilot waterfront strategy commissioned by SEEDA along the South Coast centred on the Solent will be to identify key sites for the marine sector. We recommend that the need for such sites to be safeguarded in LDDs (Local Development Documents) should be added to Policy (in the regional spatial strategy) rather than any particular subregional strategy.

 'This is because the pilot strategy will affect both South Hampshire and the Sussex Coast, but once future strategies have extended right around the coast including the Thames Estuary, the outcome would be of relevance to local authorities in Kent Thames Gateway and East Kent and Ashford too.'