Agricultural Land Classification: Detailed Post-1988 Survey for Harrogate

Harrogate, Spacey Houses survey data from the UK's Post 1988 Agricultural Land Classification (ALC) program. The dataset includes scanned original paper maps and survey reports for sites surveyed in detail between 1989 and 1999 by the Ministry of Agriculture Fisheries and Food. For some surveys, unedited sample point soils data and soil pit descriptions are also available.

Use Cases

• Classify agricultural land capability based on the official grading methodology described in the survey reports.
• Analyze soil characteristics and subgrade divisions (e.g., Grade 3a vs. 3b) using the provided point data and pit descriptions.
• Map historical land quality for specific development sites, such as the Harrogate Local Plan Site 13 mentioned in the description.
• Integrate scanned historical map data with modern GIS layers for longitudinal land-use studies.

Strengths

• Uses the current grading methodology as described in the official 'Agricultural Land Classification of England and Wales' publication.
• Includes subdivision of Grade 3 into subgrades 3a and 3b, providing finer detail.
• Contains original scanned maps and reports, preserving the primary survey record.

Limitations

• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• Last update date is unknown; freshness unverified.
• Maps were created at varying scales from 1:5,000 to 1:50,000, which may affect consistency.

Provenance

Source

Ministry of Agriculture Fisheries and Food (UK), via Natural England and the Government Digital Service.

Collection Method

Detailed site surveys conducted between 1989 and 1999, with results digitized as scanned maps and reports.

Time Range

1989 to 1999

Freshness

Survey data collected between 1989 and 1999; last update date for the digital record is unknown.

Geography

Harrogate, Spacey Houses (Harrogate Local Plan Site 13), England, United Kingdom.