England’s Local Wildlife Sites and Local Geological Sites are locally selected records of nature or geological value. They are distinct from statutory protected-site designations, although a property can have both kinds of record. A local-site result should prompt a check of the current local record and planning policy; it does not by itself settle whether an ADU can proceed.
Search local records by their local names
Ask the local planning authority for its current Local Sites map, register, site citation, and relevant local-plan policy. Local Wildlife Sites may also be called Sites of Nature Conservation Importance (SNCI), Sites of Importance for Nature Conservation (SINC), or County Wildlife Sites (CWS). Local Geological Sites may still be called Regionally Important Geological Sites (RIGS). A national search may not show every locally selected site or its complete boundary.
Local authorities usually administer the system with a Local Sites partnership. A Local Environmental Records Centre may hold or share information about the habitats, species, or geological features recorded in an area. Request the record for the correct parcel and ask whether the map shows an existing site, a candidate, or a potential site. Local partnerships can use different terms for unselected or proposed sites, so confirm the status and boundary with the authority rather than interpreting a label on its own.
Understand what the record does and does not mean
Natural England describes Local Sites as non-statutory areas that are not legally protected by that designation itself; they rely on local policy and planning decisions. Local policies can still affect how an application is assessed, and public authorities have biodiversity duties. The nature of the record and the proposed work matter, so do not treat either a site flag as an automatic ban or an absent flag as proof that wildlife or geological interests are absent.
Check the site citation and any available survey date, selection reason, boundary, and management information. Then ask the planning authority whether the proposed building, access, drainage, trees, or ground disturbance could affect the recorded features and whether an ecological or geological assessment is needed. A specialist may need to confirm the site conditions and the relationship between the work area and the recorded boundary.
Also check statutory designations and other environmental controls separately. Local Wildlife or Geological Site records do not replace checks for protected species, statutory nature sites, trees, watercourses, heritage designations, or other planning constraints. Use the broader flood, conservation, wetland, and hazard guide for related screens.
Keep the source, lookup date, site name, boundary, selection status, local-plan policy, and authority response together. This guide applies to England and does not determine the status of a specific parcel or the outcome of a planning application.