ALCL15895: Post-1988 Agricultural Land Classification Survey Maps and Reports

Agricultural Land Classification detailed Post1988 survey ALCL15895 contains scanned original paper maps and survey reports for individual sites surveyed in detail between 1989 and 1999 by the Ministry of Agriculture Fisheries and Food. Surveys use the grading methodology described in "Agricultural Land Classification of England and Wales" and map Grade 3 subdivisions 3a and 3b. The dataset, provided by the Government Digital Service, includes unedited sample point soils data and soil pit descriptions for some surveys.

Use Cases

• Analyze historical agricultural land quality based on detailed soil grading methodology.
• Map land suitability for development or conservation based on Grade 3 subdivisions (3a and 3b).
• Correlate soil pit descriptions with land classification grades for soil science research.
• Support local planning decisions with site-specific survey data from the 1989-1999 period.

Strengths

• Data is based on the official "Agricultural Land Classification of England and Wales" methodology.
• Includes subdivision of Grade 3 into subgrades 3a and 3b, providing finer detail.
• Contains unedited sample point soils data and soil pit descriptions for some surveys.

Limitations

• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• Row count is unknown, which may limit suitability assessment.
• Data may reflect geographic and temporal bias inherent to surveys conducted between 1989 and 1999.

Provenance

Source

Government Digital Service (Natural England copyright, Contains Ordnance Survey data)

Collection Method

Scanned original paper maps and survey reports from detailed site surveys.

Time Range

1989 to 1999

Geography

Individual sites in England and Wales, including Middleton St George (Darlington B.C. Local Plan - Objectors Site 2)