22.1 Table 22.1 ALC grades1 and descriptions. Grade


Description


Grade 1 – Excellent Quality Agricultural Land


Grade 2 - Very Good Quality Agricultural Land


Land with no or very minor limitations to agricultural use. A very wide range of agricultural and horticultural crops can be grown and commonly includes top fruit, soft fruit, salad crops and winter harvested vegetables. Yields are high and less variable than on land of lower quality.


Land with minor limitations which affect crop yield, cultivations or harvesting. A wide range of agricultural and horticultural crops can usually be grown but on some land in the grade there may be reduced flexibility due to difficulties with the production of the more demanding crops such as winter harvested vegetables and arable root crops. The level of yield is generally high but may be lower or more variable than Grade 1.


Grade 3 - Good to Moderate Quality Agricultural Land


Subgrade 3a - Good Quality Agricultural Land


Subgrade 3b - Moderate Quality Agricultural Land


Grade 4 – Poor Quality Agricultural Land


Land with moderate limitations which affect the choice of crops, timing and type of cultivation, harvesting or the level of yield. Where more demanding crops are grown yields are generally lower or more variable than on land in Grades 1 and 2.


Land capable of consistently producing moderate to high yields of a narrow range of arable crops, especially cereals, or moderate yields of a wide range of crops including cereals, grass, oilseed rape, potatoes, sugar beet and the less demanding horticultural crops.


Land capable of producing moderate yields of a narrow range of crops, principally cereals and grass or lower yields of a wider range of crops or high yields of grass which can be grazed or harvested over most of the year.


Land with severe limitations, which significantly restrict the range of crops and / or level of yields. It is mainly suited to grass with occasional arable crops (e.g. cereals and forage crops) the yields of which are variable. In moist climates, yields of grass may be moderate to high but there may be difficulties in utilisation. The grade also includes very droughty arable land.


Grade 5 - Very Poor Quality Agricultural Land


Urban


Land with very severe limitations, which restrict use to permanent pasture or rough grazing, except for occasional pioneer forage crops.


Built-up or 'hard' uses with relatively little potential for a return to agriculture including: housing, industry, commerce, education, transport, religious buildings, cemeteries. Also, hard-surfaced sports facilities, permanent caravan sites and vacant land; all types of derelict land, including mineral workings which are only likely to be reclaimed using derelict land grants.


1 ALC descriptions taken from the Agricultural Land Classification of England and Wales, Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, 1998 [online]. Available at: http://archive.defra.gov.uk/foodfarm/landmanage/land- use/documents/alc-guidelines-1988.pdf [Accessed 03/02/2014].


Preliminary Environmental Information May 2014


East Anglia THREE Offshore Windfarm


Appendix 22.2 Land Use Data Tables Page 3


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