Agricultural Land Classification Survey Maps and Reports for Bishop Auckland, 1989-1999

Post 1988 Agricultural Land Classification (ALC) site survey data for Bishop Auckland, Flatts Farm in County Durham. 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. It uses the current grading methodology, mapping Grade 3 with subgrades 3a and 3b, and includes unedited sample point soils data and soil pit descriptions for some surveys.

Use Cases

• Classify agricultural land capability based on the detailed grading methodology described in the survey reports.
• Map soil quality variations using the unedited sample point soils data and soil pit descriptions.
• Analyze historical land use changes for planning purposes based on the scanned maps from 1989-1999.
• Compare land classification subgrades (3a and 3b) for agricultural productivity assessments.

Strengths

• Survey data uses the current Agricultural Land Classification grading methodology.
• Includes scanned original maps and reports for detailed sites surveyed between 1989 and 1999.
• Some surveys provide unedited sample point soils data and soil pit descriptions.

Limitations

• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• Row count is unknown, which may limit suitability assessment.
• Maps were created at varying scales from 1:5,000 to 1:50,000, which may affect consistency.

Provenance

Source

Government Digital Service, Natural England, Ordnance Survey

Collection Method

Detailed site surveys conducted by the Ministry of Agriculture Fisheries and Food.

Time Range

1989-1999

Geography

Bishop Auckland, Flatts Farm, County Durham, England