Agricultural Land Classification Survey Maps and Reports for England and Wales (1989-1999)

Post-1988 Agricultural Land Classification survey data includes scanned original paper maps and reports for individual sites surveyed between 1989 and 1999 by the Ministry of Agriculture Fisheries and Food. Surveys grade land from 1 to 5, with Grade 3 subdivided into subgrades 3a and 3b, using methodology described in the official classification guidelines. Unedited sample point soils data and soil pit descriptions are also available for some surveys.

Use Cases

• Assess agricultural land capability based on detailed soil survey grades.
• Map land quality for planning and development decisions using geospatial survey maps.
• Analyze soil characteristics and variability based on unedited sample point and soil pit data.

Strengths

• Survey data uses the current grading methodology as defined in the official 'Agricultural Land Classification of England and Wales' guidelines.
• Includes subdivision of Grade 3 into subgrades 3a and 3b for finer granularity.
• Original paper maps and reports are scanned, preserving the detail of surveys conducted at scales from 1:5,000 to 1:50,000.

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

Government Digital Service

Collection Method

Detailed site surveys conducted by the Ministry of Agriculture Fisheries and Food.

Time Range

1989 to 1999

Geography

England and Wales (specific sites like Alton, Anstey)