ALCR08592: Detailed Agricultural Land Classification Survey for Thanington, 1989-1999

Natural England provides the detailed Agricultural Land Classification (ALC) survey for the Thanington, Cockering Farm site. The data includes scanned original paper maps and reports from detailed site surveys conducted between 1989 and 1999 by the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food. It uses the grading methodology from 'Agricultural Land Classification of England and Wales' and may include unedited soil sample point data and 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 mentioned in the description.
• Map land use suitability for planning and development based on the detailed ALC grades and subgrades (3a, 3b).
• Conduct historical land quality analysis for specific sites surveyed between 1989 and 1999.

Strengths

• Data is based on detailed site surveys conducted by the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, an authoritative source.
• Includes the subdivision of Grade 3 land into subgrades 3a and 3b, providing finer detail.
• Original maps were scanned, preserving the primary survey records.

Limitations

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

Provenance

Source

Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (survey), Natural England (copyright holder).

Collection Method

Detailed site surveys with soil analysis, mapped on paper at scales from 1:5,000 to 1:50,000, later scanned.

Time Range

1989 to 1999

Freshness

Survey data is from 1989-1999; last update date for the digital record is unknown.

Geography

Thanington, Cockering Farm site in England (specific region implied).