Offshore Possible SACs

A possible SAC (pSAC) is a site that has had Cabinet Committee approval to go to consultation. A site remains a pSAC until it is submitted to the European Commission. There are currently six possible SACs.

North Norfolk Sandbanks and Saturn Reef and Wyville Thomson Ridge were subject to public consultation from December 2007 to March 2008 but have not yet been submitted to the European Commission. They therefore remain pSACs. JNCC are working with Defra to resolve issues regarding these two sites that were raised during the consultation. These sites will be submitted to the European Commission as soon as possible. North Norfolk Sandbanks is in the Southern North Sea and has been recommended for its sandbank and the biogenic Sabellaria spinulosa reef. Wyville Thomson Ridge is located off northern Scotland and has been recommended for its bedrock and stony reef communities.

Inner Dowsing, Race Bank and North Ridge, Haisborough, Hammond and Winterton, Bassurelle Sandbank and North-West Rockall Bank were consulted upon from November 2009-February 2010. JNCC are currently analysing the consultation responses and a report of the consultation will be issued in due course. Inner Dowsing, Race Bank and North Ridge, Haisborough, Hammond and Winterton and Bassurelle Sandbank have all been recommended for their sandbank communities. In addition, Inner Dowsing, Race Bank and North Ridge has been recomended for it's biogenic Sabellaria spinulosa reef. North-West Rockall Bank has been recommended for it's biogenic cold water coral, stony and bedrock reef communities.

JNCC provides advice on the management of Annex I habitats and Annex II species protected within offshore SACs to Defra and other Competent Authorities. JNCC is not responsible for the management of sites, or for producing management plans for them. These are the responsibilites of the Competent Authorities.

There are three downloads associated with each pSAC:

SAC Selection Assessment Document - Detailing the scientific justification for the site;
Draft Conservation Objectives and Advice on Operations - Providing, in draft format, guidance to the Competent Authorities on managing human activities on the site;
GIS boundary for the pSAC - Please note that boundaries for future sites are not fixed until the site has been submitted to the European Commission. Therefore this site boundary may change.

Inner Dowsing, Race Bank and North Ridge

Please note that this site crosses the 12 nautical mile boundary and JNCC are progressing it jointly with Natural England.

The Inner Dowsing, Race Bank and North Ridge possible SAC is located off the south Lincolnshire coast and has been recommended for it's sandbank and Sabellaria spinulosa reef communities. A wide range of sandbank types are enclosed by the boundary including banks bordering channels, relict linear banks and sinusoidal banks. The area contains species such as polychaete and nemertean worms and the ascidian Molgula sp. The main areas of Sabellaria spinulosa reef are found in the south-west of the site. These areas support a diverse community of bryozoans, hydroids, sponges and tunicates.

Inner Dowsing, Race Bank and North Ridge SAC Selection Assessment Document (1,897 KB)

Inner Dowsing, Race Bank and North Ridge Draft Conservation Objectives and Advice on Operations (346 KB)

Inner Dowsing, Race Bank and North Ridge pSAC boundary

North Norfolk Sandbanks and Saturn Reef

The North Norfolk Sandbanks consist of 10 main sandbanks and a number of smaller banks, which collectively form the most extensive example of offshore linear ridge sandbanks in UK waters. The banks are home to invertebrate communities typical of sandy sediments, such as polychaete worms, crabs and brittlestars. One particular polychaete, the ross worm Sabellaria spinulosa, is capable of creating biogenic reef structures through consolidating thousands of fragile sand-tubes to create a solid structure that rises from the seabed. The Saturn reef is such a structure.

North Norfolk Sandbanks and Saturn Reef SAC Selection Assessment Document (1,008 KB)

North Norfolk Sandbanks and Saturn Reef Draft Conservation Objectives and Advice on Operations (642 KB)

North Norfolk Sandbanks and Saturn Reef pSAC boundary

Haisborough, Hammond and Winterton

Please note that this site crosses the 12 nautical mile boundary and JNCC are progressing it jointly with Natural England.

The possible SAC boundary for Haisborough, Hammond and Winterton contains a collection of sandbanks off the north-east coast of Norfolk. On the tops of the banks small numbers of polychaete worms and amphipods are present. In the troughs between the banks where the sediments are more stable bryozoans, hydroids and sea anemones have settled. Bivalves and crustaceans are found throughout the site.

Haisborough, Hammond and Winterton SAC Selection Assessment Document (1,098 KB)

Haisborough, Hammond and Winterton Draft Conservation Objectives and Advice on Operations (1,118 KB)

Haisborough, Hammond and Winterton pSAC boundary

Bassurelle Sandbank

Bassurelle Sandbank is a linear sandbank in the Dover Strait which straddles the boundary between UK and French waters and the possible SAC is aligned with the French site "Ridens et dunes hydrualiques du Detroit du Pas de Calais". Sandwaves and megaripples are common on the bank and biological communities are dominated by polychaete worms including the tube-worm Lagis koreni and bristleworm Spiophanes bombyx. Sand eels and weever fish are characteristic of the fish species present. Further information on the 2005-2006 Eastern English Channel survey that collected data to support the recommendation of Bassurelle Sandbank is also available.

Bassurelle Sandbank SAC Selection Assessment Document (719 KB)

Bassurelle Sandbank Draft Conservation Objectives and Advice on Operations (370 KB)

Bassurelle Sandbank pSAC boundary

North-West Rockall Bank

Rockall Bank is an offshore bank in the North-East Atlantic. The north-west area of Rockall Bank is covered in a layer of fine sediment, gravel, cobbles and boulders of glacial origin. Some of these are shaped into characteristic 'ploughmark' formations, formed by the ploughing movement of icebergs through the seabed at the end of the last ice age. Animals present include the coral Caryophyllia sp., squat lobsters, brittlestars and the bluemouth red fish. In between areas of stony reef are large patches of cold water coral reef made up of Lophelia pertusa and Madrepora oculata, interspersed with other species such as erect sponges and pencil urchins. Rockall Bank is potentially one of the most extensive sites of cold water coral reef in UK waters. Harbour porpoise are present at North-West Rockall Bank and are included as a non-qualifying feature. Further details of the 2005-2006 Strategic Environmental Assessment surveys that visited and collected data at North-West Rockall Bank are also available.

North-West Rockall Bank SAC Selection Assessment Document (3,091 KB)

North-West Rockall Bank Draft Conservation Objectives and Advice on Operations (727 KB)

North-West Rockall Bank pSAC boundary

Wyville Thomson Ridge

Wyville Thomson Ridge is a rock ridge at the northern end of Rockall Trough rising from over 1000 metres at its deepest point to 400 metres at the summit. Along the ridge there are large areas of stony reef, thought to have been formed by the ploughing movement of icebergs through the seabed at the end of the last ice age. Bedrock reef is present on the flanks of the ridge and, due to the differences in water masses, there are different species compositions on either side. These reef communities support sea urchins, sea spiders, sea cucumbers and a range of colourful sponges and soft corals. Bottlenose dolphins are present at Wyville Thomson Ridge and are included as a non-qualifying feature. Further details of the 2005-2006 Strategic Environmental Assessment surveys that visited and collected data at Wyville Thomson Ridge are also available.

Wyville Thomson Ridge SAC Selection Assessment Document (1,489 KB)

Wyville Thomson Ridge Draft Conservation Objectives and Advice on Operations (623 KB)

Wyville Thomson Ridge pSAC boundary