Agricultural Land Classification Survey for Leighton Buzzard, 1989-1999

Scanned original paper maps and survey reports from detailed site surveys conducted between 1989 and 1999 by the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food. The data includes the subdivision of Grade 3 land into subgrades 3a and 3b, and for some surveys, unedited sample point soils data and soil pit descriptions. Maps were created at scales ranging from 1:5,000 to 1:50,000, typically 1:10,000.

Use Cases

• Classify historical agricultural land capability based on detailed survey methodology and soil data.
• Analyze spatial patterns of land quality for a specific site using scanned geospatial maps.
• Train models for land use prediction using historical soil survey and classification data.
• Conduct temporal analysis of land classification changes for the 1989-1999 period.

Strengths

• Data uses the current grading methodology as described in the official 'Agricultural Land Classification of England and Wales' guidelines.
• Includes subdivision of Grade 3 into subgrades 3a and 3b for more granular analysis.
• Some surveys include unedited sample point soils data and soil pit descriptions.

Limitations

• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• Last update date is unknown; freshness unverified.
• Row count is unknown, which may limit suitability assessment.

Provenance

Source

Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (MAFF), aggregated by Natural England.

Collection Method

Detailed site surveys with original paper maps and reports, later scanned.

Time Range

1989 to 1999

Freshness

Data collection occurred between 1989 and 1999; last update date is unknown.

Geography

Leighton Buzzard, Grovebury Quarry site in England.