diff --git a/grails-app/services/au/org/ala/ecodata/SiteService.groovy b/grails-app/services/au/org/ala/ecodata/SiteService.groovy
index 4e5c746bc..37db8dbe7 100644
--- a/grails-app/services/au/org/ala/ecodata/SiteService.groovy
+++ b/grails-app/services/au/org/ala/ecodata/SiteService.groovy
@@ -623,7 +623,19 @@ class SiteService {
 
     def populateLocationMetadataForSite(Map site) {
 
-        def siteGeom = geometryAsGeoJson(site)
+        Map siteGeom
+        if (site.type == Site.TYPE_COMPOUND) {
+            siteGeom = [
+                    type:'GeometryCollection',
+                    geometries: [
+                            site.features.collect{it.geometry}
+                    ]
+            ]
+        }
+        else {
+            siteGeom = geometryAsGeoJson(site)
+        }
+
         if (siteGeom) {
             GeometryJSON gjson = new GeometryJSON()
             Geometry geom = gjson.read((siteGeom as JSON).toString())
diff --git a/src/test/groovy/au/org/ala/ecodata/SiteServiceSpec.groovy b/src/test/groovy/au/org/ala/ecodata/SiteServiceSpec.groovy
index cc81daa90..c3fe1bc5a 100644
--- a/src/test/groovy/au/org/ala/ecodata/SiteServiceSpec.groovy
+++ b/src/test/groovy/au/org/ala/ecodata/SiteServiceSpec.groovy
@@ -305,6 +305,43 @@ class SiteServiceSpec extends MongoSpec implements ServiceUnitTest<SiteService>
         sites.externalIds.idType == [[ExternalId.IdType.MONITOR_PLOT_GUID], [ExternalId.IdType.MONITOR_PLOT_GUID]]
     }
 
+    def "The site area is calculated from the FeatureCollection for a compound site"() {
+        setup:
+        def coordinates = [[148.260498046875, -37.26530995561874], [148.260498046875, -37.26531995561874], [148.310693359375, -37.26531995561874], [148.310693359375, -37.26531995561874], [148.260498046875, -37.26530995561874]]
+        def extent = buildExtent('drawn', 'Polygon', coordinates)
+        Map site = [type: Site.TYPE_COMPOUND, extent: extent, features: [
+                [
+                        type    : "Feature",
+                        geometry: [
+                                type       : "Polygon",
+                                coordinates: coordinates
+                        ]
+                ],
+                [
+                        type    : "Feature",
+                        geometry: [
+                                type       : "Polygon",
+                                coordinates: coordinates
+                        ]
+                ]
+        ]]
+
+        when:
+        service.populateLocationMetadataForSite(site)
+
+        then:
+        1 * spatialServiceMock.intersectGeometry(_, _) >> [:]
+        site.extent.geometry.aream2 == 4938.9846950349165d
+
+        when:
+        site.type = Site.TYPE_WORKS_AREA
+        service.populateLocationMetadataForSite(site)
+
+        then:
+        1 * spatialServiceMock.intersectGeometry(_, _) >> [:]
+        site.extent.geometry.aream2 == 2469.492347517461
+
+    }
 
     private Map buildExtent(source, type, coordinates, pid = '') {
         return [source:source, geometry:[type:type, coordinates: coordinates, pid:pid]]