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| Citation |
| The citation details the 'features of interest' for which a SSSI is considered special and has been legally notified. Each citation shows details of the SSSI location, size and the date of notification. It also describes the reasons for notification and the special habitats, geology, plants and/or animals that are found at the site.
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| Condition |
The condition of the SSSI land in England is assessed by Natural England, using categories across England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland through the Joint Nature Conservation Committee. There are six reportable condition categories: favourable; unfavourable recovering; unfavourable no change; unfavourable declining; part destroyed and destroyed.
Condition is assessed through a combination of Natural England data collection/contracted surveys and third-party data.
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| Condition assessment comments |
| The condition assessment comments provide more detailed information about the condition assessment. Comments will not be present for every condition assessment.
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| Condition assessment date |
| The date of the last Unit assessment that was CSM (Common Standards Monitoring) compliant. Unit condition can be changed to Unfavourable- Recovering or Favourable only following a CSM assessment. These dates may differ from an Assessment date and/or Visit date as some CSM assessments are desk-based exercises that occur some time after site data has been collected.
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| Date compiled |
| The date the information was extracted from the Natural England Site Information System (ENSIS).
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| Destroyed |
| Lasting damage has occurred to an entire designated feature on the unit/site such that the feature has been irretrievably lost (no amount of management will bring this feature back). This feature will never recover in the unit/site. Eg a finite mineralogical feature has been totally removed from its surroundings without consent and is therefore lost forever.
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| Favourable |
| The designated feature(s) within a unit/site are being adequately conserved and the results from monitoring demonstrate that the feature(s) in the unit/site are meeting all the mandatory site specific monitoring targets set out in the monitoring specification. A unit can only be considered favourable when all the component designated features are favourable.
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| Last Site Check date |
A Site Check is a record of any visit by a Natural England staff member (or contractor) to an SSSI with the purpose of identifying issues that need further attention, or issues that Natural England should be aware of in order to undertake their statutory duties. A Site Check is not a formal assessment and cannot be used to change the condition of a Unit or its features. Site Checks can cover any area, for example, the whole SSSI, specific Units, or a single location within the SSSI.
Note that before April 2023 Site Checks were recorded at the Unit level, not the SSSI level.
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| Latest assessment date |
| The date when the latest condition assessment was carried out.
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| Main habitat |
The main habitat type is selected from a list of habitats given by the UK Biodiversity Broad Habitat classification, which sets the framework for commonly defining habitat types across the whole of the UK.
This list is useful when seeking general information on the distribution and condition of the main habitats within the SSSI series.
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| Monitored Features* |
This list shows the features that are monitored and reported on in Natural England's SSSI condition assessments.
This list is useful when seeking information on the range of habitats, species and geodiversity on SSSIs along with information on their condition within the sites. It includes information on the Natura 2000 features relevant to the SSSIs. This list provides information that uses a common vocabulary drawn from the JNCC Common Standards Monitoring protocols. The list is not a definitive summary of every aspect of the special interest.
The definitive information on the special interest is shown in the SSSI citation, which is available on NE's Designated Sites View Webpage.
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| Notification date |
| The date the SSSI was notified to the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs by Natural England. If the SSSI notification has been amended, this will be the date of the last revision.
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| NVC, GCR, species and other features |
This list gives information on various features, such as the National Vegetation Classification and Geological Conservation Review information, which have previously been recorded from the site.
More information can be found here NVC | JNCC - Adviser to Government on Nature Conservation and Geological Conservation | JNCC - Adviser to Government on Nature Conservation.
This list is useful when seeking to find out the recorded distribution of particular species habitat types, or geodiversity within the SSSI series. It does not offer any information on features at the unit level, nor provide any links to feature condition or any other related information.
It is not a definitive record of the special interest. The definitive information on the special interest is shown in the SSSI citation NE's Designated Sites View Webpage.
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| Operations requiring Natural England's consent |
As part of a SSSI notification Natural England must provide a list of operations requiring Natural England's consent (in the past this list has been known as operations likely to damage the special interest or potentially damaging operations). None of the listed operations can be carried out or permitted without Natural England's prior written consent or the consent of another public body (provided that the other body has formally consulted Natural England first). This applies where a person wishes to undertake any of these operations themselves or plans to allow others to carry them out.
It is usually possible to carry out many of these operations in certain ways or at specific times of year, or on certain parts of the SSSI, without damaging the features of interest. Natural England can provide early advice and, where appropriate, issue a consent. In certain circumstances it will not be possible to consent to these operations, because they would damage the features of interest. Where possible Natural England will suggest alternatives which would enable a consent to be issued. To proceed without Natural England's consent may constitute an offence. If consent is refused, or if conditions are attached to it which are unacceptable to the owner or occupier, they may appeal to the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs.
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| Part destroyed |
| Lasting damage has occurred to part of the designated feature on the unit/site such that it has been irretrievably lost and will never recover (no amount of management will allow the feature to ever reach favourable condition).
Conservation work may be needed on the residual interest of the unit. If more than one feature occurs in a unit, but only one is considered part destroyed, consideration should be given to reunitising out the destroyed area.
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| Pressures |
| These are specific elements which are negatively impacting on the condition of a feature(s) at a site.
These range from climate change impacts to negative management practices such as overgrazing.
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| SSSI unit |
| SSSI units are divisions of SSSIs used to record management and condition details.
Units are the smallest areas for which Natural England gives a condition assessment. The size of units varies greatly depending on the types of management and the conservation interest. There are around 22,000 SSSI units.
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| SSSI unit area |
| The area of each SSSI unit in hectares calculated from digitised unit boundaries.
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| Staff member responsible |
| The Area Team staff member who is the main contact for the SSSI.
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| Staff member responsible for the site / unit |
| The Natural England staff member who is the main contact for the SSSI.
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| Unfavourable declining |
| The unit/feature is not being conserved and will not reach favourable condition unless there are changes to site management or external pressures. The site condition is becoming progressively worse, and this is reflected in the results of monitoring over time, with at least one of the designated features mandatory attributes not meeting its target (as set out in the site specific FCT) with the results moving further away from the desired state. The longer the SSSI unit remains in this poor condition, the more difficult it will be, in general, to achieve recovery.
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| Unfavourable no change |
| The unit/feature is not being conserved and will not reach favourable condition unless there are changes to the site management or external pressures and this is reflected in the results of monitoring over time, with at least one of the mandatory attributes not meeting its target (as set out in the site specific FCT) with the results not moving towards the desired state. The longer the SSSI unit remains in this poor condition, the more difficult it will be, in general, to achieve recovery. At least one of the designated feature(s) mandatory attributes and targets (as set out in the site specific FCT) are not being met.
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| Unfavourable recovering |
| Often known simply as 'recovering'. Units/features are not yet fully conserved but all the necessary management mechanisms are in place. At least one of the designated feature(s) mandatory attributes are not meeting their targets (as set out in the site specific FCT). Provided that the recovery work is sustained, the unit/feature will reach favourable condition in time.
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| Views about Management Statement (VAM) |
The 'Views About Management' statement gives a straightforward account of the basic management that is needed to conserve and enhance the wildlife or geological features of the SSSI. By giving a clear and simple statement about the management principles for conservation, these views will help to clarify and build upon the existing understanding between SSSI owners and occupiers and Natural England about the management of their SSSIs.
The VAM places no additional obligation on the owner or occupier of a SSSI nor do they replace any more detailed management advice which Natural England may have already given, such as advice in a Site Management Statement or a Management Agreement.
Following the Countryside and Rights of Way Act 2000, Natural England had to notify the owners and occupiers of all SSSIs about its views about the management of the SSSIs. The VAM now forms a legal part of all SSSI notifications.
Please follow the links for information on seeking Natural England’s advice to public bodies and to owner/occupiers.
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| Visit date |
| The date on which a site was visited for assessment purposes. Some assessments are desk-based and do not require a visit. Some assessments are made some time after a visit.
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