Broadbridge Heath: Post-1988 Agricultural Land Classification Survey Maps and Reports

Post 1988 Agricultural Land Classification (ALC) site survey data includes scanned original paper maps and survey reports for individual sites. Surveys were conducted in detail between 1989 and 1999 by the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, using the grading methodology from 'Agricultural Land Classification of England and Wales'. Maps vary in scale from 1:5,000 to 1:50,000, and some surveys include unedited sample point soils data and soil pit descriptions.

Use Cases

• Classify agricultural land capability based on the detailed grading methodology described in the survey reports.
• Analyze soil quality variations using the unedited sample point soils data and soil pit descriptions available for some surveys.
• Map land use suitability at varying scales (from 1:5,000 to 1:50,000) for regional planning.
• Study historical land classification changes in England and Wales between 1989 and 1999.

Strengths

• Surveys use the established grading methodology from the 'Agricultural Land Classification of England and Wales' publication.
• Includes the subdivision of Grade 3 into subgrades 3a and 3b for more detailed analysis.
• Contains both geospatial map data (scanned original paper maps) and textual survey reports.

Limitations

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

Provenance

Source

Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (survey), Natural England (copyright), Ordnance Survey (base map data).

Collection Method

Detailed site surveys conducted by government agencies, with results recorded on paper maps and in reports.

Time Range

1989 to 1999

Freshness

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

Geography

England and Wales, specifically the Broadbridge Heath (Horsham DLP) site.