Fees and Charges 

The new MMO marine licence fees will take effect from 6 April 2014.

The fees and charges associated with applying for a marine licence are changing from 6 April 2014.

Following consistent feedback from operators and stakeholders including the RYA, Defra consulted on proposed changes to the MMO’s licence fee structure. The new fees have been published in The Marine Licensing (Application Fees) Regulations 2014. You can also view details of the formal public consultation which preceded the regulations and a summary of responses to the consultation.

As the Marine Management Organisation (MMO) is mainly un-subsidised, marine licence fees include the cost of the time taken to consult statutory advisors, consult the public, resolve disputes where possible and prepare the license. The high cost of licence fees has always been of concern to the RYA, particularly for those undertaking small-scale, low risk activities.

Many of the changes made to the MMO fee schedule constitute a reduction in costs for the kinds of activities that RYA clubs and members undertake (including resurfacing slipways and minor maintenance works). The below extracts are from the The Marine Licensing (Application Fees) Regulations 2014.

The new fee structure is based on the principle of hourly charging, at a rate of £94 per hour, but with maximum ceilings (or caps) applied to fast tracked (Band 1, above) or routine projects (Band 2, below). Coupled with this, there are now several more fee bands for routine projects which will equate to more proportionate fees for smaller works with a capital cost of up to £199,999.

 

Transitional Arrangements

For marine licence applications submitted before 6 April 2014 and awaiting determination by the MMO, the following transitional arrangements will apply:

• An application must have been accepted as fully completed (ie. all required information provided to process it) by the MMO in order for these transitional rules to apply.
• For outstanding applications being processed under tiers 1 and 2 of the current system and which are currently subject to a fixed charge, the fee would be the lower of the amounts calculated under the current and new systems (since in some cases the new fee structure would result in a decrease in the fee).
• For outstanding applications being processed under tier 3, the time to determine a licence is currently based on an hourly rate of £80. From the date the new regulations come into force the revised hourly rate of £94 will apply to all on-going casework.

This is the MMO’s current fee schedule. This schedule will not be applicable for new applications submitted from 6 April 2014.

What else is the RYA doing about fees?

The RYA is still working to get lower licence fees for the installation of simple and trot moorings. These are currently subject to the full licensing regime and dealt with on a case by case basis. As a result, the licences can take 3-4 months to be granted and conditions could be included to specify what kind of equipment can be used depending on the seabed type in the mooring location.

We will continue our negotiations with the MMO and statutory advisors to agree standard licence conditions so that licence applications for moorings can be processed through the fast track system - more quickly and at a lower cost. For further information about fees and charges, visit the MMO website or speak to an MMO case officer about your works on 0300 123 1032.