ALCL14293: Post-1988 Agricultural Land Classification Survey for England and Wales

Detailed site surveys conducted between 1989 and 1999 by the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food. The dataset contains scanned original paper maps, survey reports, and for some surveys, unedited sample point soils data and soil pit descriptions. It is provided by Natural England and uses the grading methodology from the 'Agricultural Land Classification of England and Wales' guidelines.

Use Cases

• Mapping agricultural land quality based on the detailed ALC grading system mentioned in the description
• Analyzing soil characteristics for land planning using the available soil pit descriptions and sample point data
• Historical land capability assessment based on surveys conducted between 1989 and 1999
• Regional agricultural policy analysis based on the subdivision of Grade 3 land into subgrades 3a and 3b

Strengths

• Surveys use the current grading methodology as described in the official 'Agricultural Land Classification of England and Wales' document
• Includes the subdivision of Grade 3 land into subgrades 3a and 3b for more detailed analysis
• Contains original scanned maps and reports for individual sites surveyed in detail

Limitations

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

Provenance

Source

Natural England, incorporating data from the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food and Ordnance Survey.

Collection Method

Detailed site surveys with soil analysis, mapping, and reporting.

Time Range

1989 to 1999

Freshness

Last updated 2026-07-13 12:31:10.509298; freshness should be verified

Geography

England and Wales, specifically the Middleton, Methley Quarry, Green Lane survey area.