Sites of Special Scientific Interest
The question
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many Sites of Special Scientific Interest have been designated in England in each of the last five years.
Answered by Mary Creagh
Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) designation is a two‑stage process. Sites are first notified, at which point they become legally protected. Notifications are then confirmed, usually within nine months, once any objections or representations have been considered.
For the purposes of this answer, “designated” is taken to mean confirmed SSSI notifications. On that basis, the number of SSSIs designated in England, by calendar year, is as follows:
Year | Number of SSSIs designated |
2021 | 6 |
2022 | 1 |
2023 | 1 |
2024 | 0 |
2025 | 0 |
Confirmation often takes place in a year following notification, so notified and confirmed figures do not necessarily relate to the same sites.
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