Agricultural Land Classification Survey: Haywards Heath Site, 1989-1999

Post-1988 Agricultural Land Classification (ALC) survey data for the Haywards Heath, Walstead Place Farm site. The dataset includes scanned original paper maps and survey reports from detailed site surveys conducted between 1989 and 1999 by the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food. It uses the grading methodology from the 'Agricultural Land Classification of England and Wales' guidelines and may contain unedited sample point soils data and soil pit descriptions.

Use Cases

• Classifying agricultural land capability based on the detailed grading methodology described in the survey reports.
• Analyzing historical land quality changes based on soil data and pit descriptions from the late 20th century.
• Integrating detailed site-level land classification with broader regional planning maps based on the provided geospatial data.

Strengths

• Data uses the established grading methodology from the 'Agricultural Land Classification of England and Wales' guidelines.
• Includes the subdivision of Grade 3 land into subgrades 3a and 3b for more granular analysis.
• Original survey materials such as scanned maps and reports are provided for transparency.

Limitations

• Row count and column-level documentation are unknown; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• Last update date is unknown; freshness unverified.
• Data may reflect geographic and temporal bias inherent to surveys from a specific UK government period (1989-1999).

Provenance

Source

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

Collection Method

Detailed site surveys involving soil analysis and mapping, conducted between 1989 and 1999.

Time Range

1989 to 1999

Freshness

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

Geography

Haywards Heath, Walstead Place Farm (England, UK)