Agricultural Land Classification: Detailed Site Surveys for Sutton Wick, 1989-1999

Post-1988 Agricultural Land Classification survey data for the Sutton Wick site in North West England. The dataset includes scanned original paper maps and reports from detailed surveys conducted between 1989 and 1999 by the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food. Some surveys also contain 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 characteristics and variability using the unedited sample point data and soil pit descriptions.
• Map land use suitability for planning and environmental impact assessments based on the geospatial survey maps.
• Study historical land classification practices and data from the 1989-1999 period.

Strengths

• Uses the official Agricultural Land Classification grading methodology, including subdivision of Grade 3 into subgrades 3a and 3b.
• Contains original, detailed survey data from a specific 10-year period (1989-1999).
• Includes multiple data types: scanned maps, reports, and for some surveys, raw soils data.

Limitations

• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• Row count is unknown, which may limit suitability assessment.
• Map scales vary from 1:5,000 to 1:50,000, indicating inconsistent levels of detail.

Provenance

Source

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

Collection Method

Detailed site surveys conducted by MAFF, with data comprising scanned original paper maps and reports.

Time Range

1989 to 1999

Freshness

Last update date is unknown; freshness unverified.

Geography

Sutton Wick, North West England