HC Deb 10 June 1985 vol 80 c316W
Dr. David Clark

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment how many sites of special scientific interest have been renotified since 1981; and how many remain to be renotified.

Mr. Waldegrave

Of the 4,085 sites previously notified under the National Parks and Access to the Countryside Act 1949, the Nature Conservancy Council had renotified 1,476 under section 28 of the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 as at 30 April 1985. A further 46 sites which have lost their special interest have been denotified. Approximately 2,500 sites remain to be renotified. By 30 April 1985 the Nature Conservancy Council had also notified 518 of 1,797 new sites identified as meriting SSSI status, thus leaving some 3,800 sites outstanding. For these, the NCC currently estimates that the renotification programme will have been substantially completed by the end of 1986.