ALCB01499: Detailed Agricultural Land Classification Survey for Chudleigh, 1989-1999

Scanned original paper maps and survey reports from detailed Agricultural Land Classification (ALC) site surveys conducted between 1989 and 1999 by the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food. The data covers the Chudleigh survey area, mapping land grades including the subdivision of Grade 3 into subgrades 3a and 3b, and includes unedited sample point soils data and soil pit descriptions for some surveys. The dataset is provided by Natural England and uses the grading methodology described in the 'Agricultural Land Classification of England and Wales' guidelines.

Use Cases

• Historical land capability analysis based on detailed ALC grades and subgrades.
• Soil quality assessment and mapping based on point soils data and pit descriptions.
• Land use planning and policy development informed by scanned survey maps and reports.
• Temporal comparison of agricultural land quality for the 1989-1999 period.

Strengths

• Original survey maps and reports scanned from detailed site surveys conducted over a 10-year period (1989-1999).
• Includes subdivision of Grade 3 land into subgrades 3a and 3b, providing finer detail.
• Some surveys include unedited sample point soils data and soil pit descriptions.

Limitations

• Description metadata is limited; actual data quality requires manual inspection after download.
• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• Maps were created at varying scales from 1:5,000 to 1:50,000, indicating potential inconsistency in detail.

Provenance

Source

Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food; provided by Natural England.

Collection Method

Detailed site surveys with scanned original paper maps and reports.

Time Range

1989 to 1999

Freshness

Last updated 2026-07-13 12:10:54.374135; freshness should be verified.

Geography

Chudleigh survey area, England, United Kingdom.