Agricultural Land Classification Survey: Holmes Chapel Site 47, 1989-1999

Holmes Chapel, Junction 18, M6 in Congleton Borough, England, is the geographic scope of this detailed land classification survey. The dataset contains scanned original paper maps and survey reports for individual sites, produced by the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food between 1989 and 1999. It includes the subdivision of Grade 3 land into subgrades 3a and 3b, and for some surveys, 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 historical land quality changes for a specific site based on the 1989-1999 survey period.
• Integrate detailed soil pit descriptions and point data with broader land use planning models.
• Compare land grading at varying scales of detail, from 1:5,000 to 1:50,000, as mentioned in the description.

Strengths

• Data is based on the current grading methodology as described in the official 'Agricultural Land Classification of England and Wales' document.
• Includes the subdivision of Grade 3 into subgrades 3a and 3b, providing finer detail.
• Contains original scanned maps and reports, preserving the primary survey record.

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 (MAFF), via Natural England and the Government Digital Service.

Collection Method

Detailed site surveys conducted by MAFF, with results captured in paper maps and reports that were later scanned.

Time Range

1989 to 1999

Freshness

Survey data is from 1989-1999; last update for the dataset is unknown.

Geography

Holmes Chapel, Junction 18, M6, Congleton Borough, England (Site 47).