Guidance

Southern North Sea marine area site packages

Get conservation advice on the impact of activity on a marine site and find out the status of advice using the interactive map.

• From: Natural England
• Published: 30 March 2017
• Last updated: 18 September 2025
  Show all updates

  1. 18 September 2025

     Change of status from 'draft' to 'formal' for Kentish Knock East MCZ. Updated the interactive map URL.

  2. 21 March 2024

     Added new site with draft status - Orford Inshore Marine Conservation Zone (UKMCZ0081)

  3. 9 May 2023

     Added new site with draft status - Greater Wash Special Protection Area.

  4. 28 September 2021

     Change of status from 'draft' to 'formal' for Swanscombe MCZ. One new site added with 'draft' status: Kentish Knock East MCZ.

  5. 30 March 2021

     New site added with 'draft' status: Swanscombe MCZ

  6. 25 March 2020

     Change of status from 'draft' to 'formal' for Colne Estuary (Mid-Essex Coast Phase 2) SPA.

  7. 25 September 2019

     Change of status from 'draft' to 'formal' for: Crouch and Roach Estuaries (Mid-Essex Coast Phase 3) SPA; Dengie (Mid-Essex Coast Phase 1) SPA; Foulness (Mid-Essex Coast Phase 5) SPA; Great Yarmouth North Denes SPA; Hamford Water SPA; Humber Estuary SAC; Humber Estuary SPA; Minsmere-Walberswick SPA; Outer Thames Estuary SPA; Thanet Coast SAC. Replaced map PDF with link to ArcGIS interactive map. Added new draft site: Colne Estuary (Mid-Essex Coast Phase 2) SPA.

  8. 27 March 2019

     Map updated. 5 new draft sites added: Crouch and Roach Estuaries (Mid-Essex Coast Phase 3) SPA; Great Yarmouth North Denes SPA; Hamford Water SPA; Minsmere-Walberswick SPA; Outer Thames Estuary SPA. 4 sites changed status from 'draft' to 'formal': Benacre to Easton Bavents Lagoons; Breydon Water; Deben Estuary; Stour and Orwell Estuaries.

  9. 26 September 2018

     New sites added: Benacre to Easton Bavents Lagoons SAC, Breydon Water SPA, Dengie (Mid-Essex Coast Phase 1) SPA and Thanet Coast SAC.

  10. 28 March 2018

      Status of Thames Estuary and Marshes / the Swale Estuary changed from 'draft' to 'formal'. Haisborough, Hammond and Winterton / Inner Dowsing, Race Bank and North Ridge / Margate and Long Sands changed status from SCI to SAC. New draft sites Cromer Shoal Chalk Beds / Deben Estuary / Holderness Inshore and Stour / Orwell Estuaries added. Updated map.

  11. 27 September 2017

      Map updated; 3 new sites added, 10 sites moved from draft to formal. 3 links changed to point to Designated Sites System.

  12. 30 March 2017

      First published.

Applies to England

Documents

Marine conservation advice: package status interactive map

https://defra.maps.arcgis.com/apps/instant/basic/index.html?appid=6b59f9b1391443ee85f04f603bdde396

Details

Use the interactive map attached to this page to find out the status of each marine advice package.

Packages marked ‘not yet available’ on the map have not been updated on the Designated Sites System but advice may still exist. These sites are not listed on this page.

You can search for all sites on the Designated Sites View site search. This will include links to any existing advice.

Advice packages are listed alphabetically.

Advice packages in the Southern North Sea

Alde, Ore and Butley Estuaries Special Area of Conservation (UK0030076) Formal

Alde Ore Estuary Special Protection Area (UK9009112) Formal

Benacre to Easton Bavents Lagoons Special Area of Conservation (UK0013104) Formal

Benfleet and Southend Marshes Special Protection Area (UK9009171) Formal

Blackwater, Crouch, Roach and Colne Estuaries Marine Conservation Zone (UKMCZ0003) Formal

Blackwater Estuary (Mid-Essex Coast Phase 4) Special Protection Area (UK9009245) Formal

Breydon Water Special Protection Area (UK9009181) Formal

Colne Estuary (Mid-Essex Coast Phase 2) Special Protection Area (UK9009243) Formal

Crouch and Roach Estuaries (Mid-Essex Coast Phase 3) Special Protection Area (UK9009244) Formal

Cromer Shoal Chalk Beds Marine Conservation Zone (UKMCZ0031) Draft

Deben Estuary Special Protection Area (UK9009261) Formal

Dengie (Mid-Essex Coast Phase 1) Special Protection Area (UK9009242) Formal

Essex Estuaries Special Area of Conservation (UK0013690) Formal

Foulness (Mid-Essex Coast Phase 5) Special Protection Area (UK9009246) Formal

Gibraltar Point Special Protection Area (UK9008022) Formal

Great Yarmouth North Denes Special Protection Area (UK9009271) Formal

Greater Wash Special Protection Area (UK9020329) Draft

Haisborough, Hammond and Winterton Special Area of Conservation (UK0030369) Formal

Hamford Water Special Protection Area (UK9009131) Formal

Holderness Inshore Marine Conservation Zone (UKMCZ0035) Draft

Humber Estuary Special Area of Conservation (UK0030170) Formal

Humber Estuary Special Protection Area (UK9006111) Formal

Inner Dowsing, Race Bank and North Ridge Special Area of Conservation (UK0030370) Formal

Kentish Knock East Marine Conservation Zone (UKMCZ0080) Formal

Margate and Long Sands Special Area of Conservation (UK0030371) Formal

Medway Estuary and Marshes Special Protection Area (UK9012031) Formal

Medway Estuary Marine Conservation Zone (UKMCZ0011) Formal

Minsmere-Walberswick Special Protection Area (UK9009101) Formal

North Norfolk Coast Special Area of Conservation (UK0019838) Formal

North Norfolk Coast Special Protection Area (UK9009031) Formal

Orford Inshore Marine Conservation Zone (UKMCZ0081) Draft

Orfordness – Shingle Street Special Area of Conservation Formal

Outer Thames Estuary Special Protection Area (UK9020309) Formal

Stour and Orwell Estuaries Special Protection Area (UK9009121) Formal

Swanscombe Marine Conservation Zone (UKMCZ0073) Formal

Thames Estuary and Marshes Special Protection Area (UK9012021) Formal

Thanet Coast Marine Conservation Zone (UKMCZ0017) Formal

Thanet Coast Special Area of Conservation (UK0013107) Formal

The Swale Estuary Marine Conservation Zone (UKMCZ0041) Formal

The Swale Special Protection Area Formal

The Wash and North Norfolk Coast Special Area of Conservation (UK0017075) Formal

The Wash Special Protection Area (UK9008021) Formal