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Special Areas of Conservation

Bassurelle Sandbank

Designated Special Area of Conservation (SAC)
Country UK Offshore waters
Unitary Authority Extra-Regio
Centroid* TW127814
Latitude 50.5931
Longitude 1.0064
SAC EU Code UK0030368
Status Designated Special Area of Conservation (SAC)
Area (ha) 6709
* This is the approximate central point of the SAC. In the case of large, linear or composite sites, this may not represent the location where a feature occurs within the SAC.
Location of Bassurelle Sandbank SAC

General site character

  • Marine areas, Sea inlets (100%)

Download the Standard Data Form for this site (PDF <100kb)

Note When undertaking an appropriate assessment of impacts at a site, all features of European importance (both primary and non-primary) need to be considered.

Annex I habitats that are a primary reason for selection of this site

  • 1110 Sandbanks which are slightly covered by sea water all the time

    The Bassurelle Bank is a linear sandbank in the Dover Strait which straddles the boundary between UK and French waters. It is an example of an open shelf ridge sandbank, which is formed by tidal currents (Graham et al., 2001). The part of the sandbank within UK waters is approximately 2.5km at its widest point, and has a maximum height of around 15m. It extends for about 15km in a NE-SW direction to the UK-France median line, and then continues for some distance into French waters.

Annex I habitats present as a qualifying feature, but not a primary reason for selection of this site

  • Not Applicable

Annex II species that are a primary reason for selection of this site

  • Not Applicable

Annex II species present as a qualifying feature, but not a primary reason for site selection

  • Not Applicable

Many designated sites are on private land: the listing of a site in these pages does not imply any right of public access.