Moray has 215 designated sites and 148 ancient woodland sites recorded across the council area. Protected species, archaeology and hydrology constraints may also apply depending on your exact location.
Whether you own a site in Moray, are buying one, or are planning a development, the constraints below are the ones most likely to affect your project, your timeline and your budget. You can check your exact site against all of them in minutes using the free preview at the foot of this page.
Environmental constraints at a glance
| Domain | Moray (recorded) | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| Ecology / protected species | 9 species groups HIGH | Protected species such as bats, otters and newts may be present. These can require a licence and consultation with NatureScot before development. |
| Designated sites | 215 total (44 SSSI, 10 SAC, 7 SPA) HIGH | Sites such as SSSIs and SACs are legally protected. Development on or near them may need extra assessment and consultation with NatureScot. |
| Ancient woodland | 148 sites | Ancient woodland is irreplaceable habitat with strong protection under planning policy. Development affecting it is restricted. |
| Hydrology / watercourses & flooding | 762 features HIGH | Rivers, burns and flood areas affect where you can build and may require a flood risk assessment. |
| Archaeology / scheduled monuments | 936 records HIGH | Scheduled monuments and heritage sites are legally protected. Works affecting them may need consent from Historic Environment Scotland. |
Ecology and species records are refreshed monthly.
What this means for your project
Any of these constraints can add cost, cause delay, or trigger a required survey if it affects your specific site. The figures above are area wide and give a useful overview, but constraints are highly location specific. A plot a short distance from a designated site may be entirely unaffected, while another may sit directly on top of one. The only reliable way to know what applies is to assess your exact site boundary against the same authoritative databases these figures come from. A site specific check is therefore essential before you commit to a site or submit a planning application.
Check your exact site in Moray for free
Draw your site anywhere in Moray and instantly see what is recorded against it across all five domains. No signup and no card required. The full written report, supplied as HTML and a Word document, costs £199.99.
Run a free survey on your siteWhere this data comes from
- NatureScot, protected species and designated sites (SSSI, SAC, SPA)
- NBN Atlas, species occurrence records
- Scottish Forestry, Ancient Woodland Inventory
- SEPA, watercourses and flood data
- Historic Environment Scotland and Canmore, scheduled monuments and heritage
Data reflects the latest available records at the time the page was generated.