LAND AT FORD AERODROME Bognor Regis, West Sussex. Agricultural Land Classification ALC Map and Report. October FRCA Reading

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1 Al LAND AT ORD AERODROE Bognor Regis, West ussex Agricultural Land lassification AL ap and Report October 997 Resource Planning Team Eastern Region RA Reading RPT Job Number:4/l/97 A Reference: EL4/7

2 AGRIULTURAL LAND LAIIATION REPORT LAND AT ORD AERODROE, BOGNOR REGI, WET UEX INTRODUTION. This report presents the findings of a detailed Agricultural Land lassification (AL) survey of 9.8ha of land at the disused ord Aerodrome site, south west of ord village near Bognor Regis, West ussex. The survey was carried out during October The survey was undertaken by the arming and Rural onservation Agency (RA)' on behalf of the inistry of Agriculture, isheries and ood (A), in connection with a planning application by outhem Water for a proposed wastewater treatn\ent works and sludge recycling centre. This survey supersedes any previous AL information for this land.. The work was conducted by members of the Resource Planning Team in the Eastem Region of RA. The land has been graded in accordance with the published A AL guidelines and criteria (A, 988). A description of the AL grades and subgrades is given in Appendix I. 4. At the time of survey the land use on the site was cereal stubble. The areas mapped as 'Other land' include a small area of hardstanding associated with the adjacent works. UARY. The findings of the survey are shown on the enclosed AL map. The map has been drawn at a scale of LIO.OOO. It is accurate at this scale but any enlargement would be misleading. 6. The area and proportions of the AL grades and subgrades on the surveyed land are summarised in Table. Table : Area of grades and other land Grade/Other land Area (hectares) % surveyed area % site area Other land 9.7. N/A 99.. Total surveyed area Total site area The fieldwork was conducted at an average density of boring per hectare of agricultural land. Twenty borings and one soil pit were described. RA is an executive agency of A and the Welsh Office

3 8. The whole of this site has been mapped as Grade (very good quality) agricultural land. The soils typically comprise stoneless or very slightly stony fine silty topsoils overlying similar subsoils to depth. The subsoils occasionally show evidence of minor soil wetness but, overall profiles are well drained. Given the locally relatively dry climate, these soils are classified as Grade due to a minor soil droughtiness limitation. oil droughtiness may cause the level and consistency of crop yields to be reduced and restrict the range of crops which can tolerate droughty conditions, especially in dry years. ATOR INLUENING AL GRADE limate 9. limate affects the grading of land through the assessment of an overall climatic limitation and also through interactions with soil characteristics.. The key climatic variables used for grading this site are given in Table and were obtained from the published km grid datasets using the standard interpolation procedures (et. Office, 989). Table : limatic and altitude data actor Grid reference Allitude Accumulated Temperature Average Annual Rainfall ield apacity Days oisture Deficit, Wheat oisture Deficit, Potatoes OveraU climatic grade Units N/A m. AOD day^ (Jan-June) mm days mm mm N/A Values U Grade. The climatic criteria are considered first when classifying land as climate can be overriding in the sense that severe limitations will restrict land to low grades irrespective of favourable site or soil conditions.. The main parameters used in the assessment of an overall climatic limitation are average annual rainfall (AAR), as a measure of overall wetness, and accumulated temperature (ATO, January to June), as a measure of the relative warmth of a locality.. The combination of rainfall and temperature at this site mean that there is no overall climatic limitation. The land is shown as being 'rather exposed' (et Office, unpublished data, 969). However, no evidence of exposure is visible on the site. rost risk also does not affect land quality at this location. The site is climatically Grade. However, climatic factors do interact with soil properties to influence soil wetness and soil droughtiness. At this locality the climate is relatively warm and dry, in national terms. The likelihood of soil droughtiness problems may therefore be enhanced.

4 ite 4. The site is flat and low lying, at an altitude of m AOD. The land quality is not affected by site restrictions such as gradient, micro-relief or flooding. Geology and soils. The most detailed published geological information for the site (BG, 97 and 97) shows the whole site to be underlain by brickearth drift deposits overlying Upper halk solid deposits. 6. The most detailed published soils information covering the area (EW, 967) shows the site to comprise soils from three soil series. The majority of the site is shown as Hamble eries; deep phase. This gives rise to deep, well drained brown earth soils developed in silty drift. They are commonly stoneless or nearly so. In the east of the site small areas of Hamble eries; shallow phase over loamy pebbly drift and Lyminster eries are mapped. This shallow phase of the Hamble eries gives rise to similarly well drained soils but which commonly contain a significant stone content towards the base of the profile. Lyminster soils are typically well to moderately well drained and usually deep over pebbly drift. Typically soils similar to the deep phase of the Hamble eries are found across the site, being well drained fine silty topsoils over similar or clayey subsoils. Occasionally, more stony soils are found. AGRIULTURAL LAND LAIIATION 7. The details of the classification of the site are shown on the attached AL map and the area statistics of each grade are given in Table, page. 8. The location of the auger borings and pits is shown on the attached sample location map and the details of the soils data are presented in Appendix II. Grade 9. This site is mapped as very good quality agricultural land on the basis of a slight soil droughtiness limitation. oils comprise calcareous or non-calcareous medium silty clay loam topsoils. These are generally stoneless, but may be very slightly to slightly stony (-% total flints, up to %>cm, up to 4%>6cm). Topsoils overlie similar, or medium clay loam upper subsoils which again are typically stoneless, although they may contain up to % total flints and/or up to % chalk. These upper subsoils pass to medium silty clay loam, heavy silty clay loam, sandy clay loam, silty clay or clay lower subsoils. These horizons are usually stoneless, but may contain up to % total flints or up to % chalk. Lower subsoils are typically slightly gleyed or.gleyed at moderate depths (between 6-9cm), which is suggestive of a fluctuating watertable and minor seasonal waterlogging. However, the drainage status of these soils overall is such that they are assigned to Wetness lass I. Pit (see Appendix II) is representative of these soils. The combination of soil textures and stone contents within this locally dry climate slightly reduces the amount of water available in the

5 profile for growing crops. The resulting drought stress may cause the level and consistency of yields to be slightly depressed, especially in drier years. A classification of Grade is appropriate. Judith legg Resource Planning Team Eastem Region RA Reading

6 OURE O REERENE British Geological urvey (97) heetno. 7, hichester. :66 scale. Drift Edition. BG: London. British Geological urvey (97) heetno., Bognor, : scale. Drift Edition. BG: London. inistry of Agriculture, isheries and ood (988) Agricultural Land lassification of England and Wales: Revised guidelines and criteria for grading the quality of agricultural land. A: London. et. Office (989) limatological Data for Agricultural Land lassification. et. Office: Bracknell. et. Office (969) Unpublished data. heet 8. et Office: Bracknell. oil urvey of Great Britain {967) oils of the West ussex oastal Plain. EW: Harpenden. oil urvey of England and Wales (98) heet 6, oils of outh-east England, :,. EW: Harpendea oil urvey of England and Wales (984) oils and their Use in outh East England EW: Harpenden

7 APPENDIX I DERIPTION O THE GRADE AND UBGRADE Grade : Excellent 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. Grade : Very Good Quality Agricultural Land Land with minor limilations which affect crop yield, cultivations or harvesting. A wide range of agricultural or horticultural crops can usually be grown but on some land of this 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 land. Grade : Good to oderate Quality Land Land with moderate limitations which affect the choice of crops, the timing and type of cultivation, harvesting or the level of yield. When more demanding crops are grown, yields are generally lower or more variable than on land in Grades and. ubgrade a: Good Quality Agricultural Land 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. ubgrade b: oderate Quality Agricultural Land 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. Grade 4: Poor Quality Agrieultural Land Land with severe limitations which significantly restrict the range of crops and/or the 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 : Very Poor Quality Agricultural Land Land with severe limitations which restrict use to permanent pasture or rough grazing, except for occasional pioneer forage crops.

8 APPENDIX II OIL DATA ontents: ample location map oil abbreviations - explanatory note oil pit descriptions oil boring descriptions (boring and horizon levels)

9 OIL PROILE DERIPTION: EXPLANATORY NOTE oil pit and auger boring information collected during AL fieldwork is held on a computer database. This uses notations and abbreviations as set out below. Boring Header Information. GRID RE: national km grid square and 8 figure grid reference.. UE: Land use at the time of survey. The following abbreviations are used: ARA: ER: OR: POT: LIN: PGR: R: DW: HTH: Arable ereals Oilseed rape Potatoes Linseed Permanent pasture crub Deciduous woodland Heathland WHT: OAT: BEN: BT: RT: LEY: W: BOG: T: Wheat Oats ield beans ugar beet oft and top fruit Ley grass oniferous woodland Bog or marsh Horticultural crops BAR: ZE: BRA: D: LW: RGR: OTH A: PLO: Barley aize Brassicae odder crops allow Rough grazing Other et-aside Ploughed. GRDNT: Gradient as eslimated or measured by a hand-held optical clinometer. 4. GLEY/PL: Depth in centimetres (cm) to gleying and/or slowly permeable layers.. AP (WHEAT/POT): rop-adjusted available water capacity. 6. B (WHEAT/POT): oisture Balance. (rop adjusted AP - crop adjusted D) 7. DRT: Best grade according to soil droughtiness. 8. If any of the following faclors are considered significant, 'V' will be entered in the relevant column: REL: icrorelief limilation LOOD: lood risk ERON: oil erosion risk EXP: Exposure limitation ROT: rost prone DIT: Disturbed land HE: hemical limitation 9. LIIT: The main limitation to land quality. The following abbrevialions are used: O: R: L: H: DR: EX: Overall limate rost Risk lood Risk hemical Drought Exposure AE: GR: TX: WE: ER: Aspect Gradient Topsoil Texture Wetness Erosion Risk T: R: DP: WK: WD: Topsoil toniness icrorelief oil Depth Workability oil Wetness/Droughliness

10 oil Pits and Auger Borings. TEXTURE: soil texture classes are denoted by the following abbreviations: : and L: Loamy and L: andy Loam ZL: andy ilt Loam L: lay Loam ZL: ilty lay Loam ZL: ilt Loam L: andy lay Loam : lay : andy lay Z: iltylay OL: Organic Loam P: Peat P: andy Peat LP: Loamy Peat PL: Peaty Loam P: Peaty and Z: arine Light ilts or the sand, loamy sand, sandy loam and sandy silt loam classes, the predominant size of sand fraction will be indicated by the use of the following prefixes: : ine (more than 66% of the sand less than.mm) : edium (less than 66% fine sand and less than % coarse sand) : oarse (more than % of the sand larger than.6mm) The clay loam and silty clay loam classes will be sub-divided according to the clay content: : edium (<7% clay) H: Heavy (7-% clay). OTTLE OL: ottle colour using unsell noiation.. OTTLE ABUN: ottle abundance, expressed as a percentage of the matrix or surface described: : few <% : common -% : many -4% V: very many 4% + 4. OTTLE ONT: ottle conlrasl: : faint - indistinct motlles, evident only on close inspeclion D: distinct - mottles are readily seen P: prominent - mottling is conspicuous and one of the outstanding features of the horizon. PED. OL: Ped face colour using unsell notation. 6. GLEY: If the soil horizon is gleyed a 'Y' will appear in this column. If slightly gleyed, an '' will appear. 7. TONE LITH: tone Lilhology - one of the following is used: : all hard rocks and stones T; soft, fine grained sandstone ZR: soft, argillaceous, or silty rocks H: chalk T: soft, medium grained sandstone G: gravel with porous (soft) stones I: soft weathered GH: gravel with non-porous (hard) igneous/metamorphic rock stones tone contents (>cm, >6cm and tolal) are given in percentages (by volume).

11 8. TRUT: the degree of developmenl, size and shape of soil peds are described using the following notalion: Degree ofdevelopment WK: weakly developed D: moderately developed T: slrongly developed Ped size Ped shape : : : GR: AB: PL: fine coarse single grain granular sub-angular biocky platy : : AB: PR: 9. ONIT: oil consistence is described using the following notation: medium massive angular b prismatic L: loose : firm EH: extremely hard V: very friable V: very firm R: friable E: extremely firm. UB TR: ubsoil structural condiiion recorded for the purpose of calculaling profile droughtiness: G: good : moderate P: poor. POR: oil porosity. If a soil horizon has less than.% biopores >. mm, a 'Y' will appear in this column.. IP: If the profile is impenetrable to rooting a 'Y' will appear in this column at the appropriate horizon.. PL: lowly permeable layer. If ihe soil horizon is slowly permeable a Y' will appear in this column. 4. AL: If the soil horizon is calcareous, a 'Y' will appear in this column.. Othernotations: APW: APP: BW: BP: available water capacily (in mm) adjusted for wheal available water capacity (in mm) adjusted for potatoes moisture balance, wheat moisture balance, polatoes

12 program: ALOl LIT O BORING HEADER //97 ORD AERODROE W.UEX page APLE APET WETNE -WHEAT- -POT- NO. GRIO RE UE GRONT GLEY PL LA GRADE AP B AP B.REL ERON ROT HE AL DRT LOOD EXP DIT LIIT OWENT U9964 TB U9974 TB U9984 TB 4 U9994 TB U4 TB A 6 6 OR OR QueryDIst OR DR A ImphalkDrift DR Implnts9 6 U996 TB 7 U997 TB 8 U998 TB 9 U999 TB U99 TB DR ee IP Dfi ee IP DR ee IP DR QueryDist DR ee IP U99 TB U994 TB 4 U99 TB U996 TB U997 TB DR ee IP DR ee IP DR ee IP DR ee IP DR ee IP U99 TB U994 TB U99 TB U996 TB U994 TB DR ee P OR ee IP DR ee IP DR ee IP OR ee IP IP U994 TB OR

13 program: ALOll APLE DEPTH TEXTURE OLOUR OPLETE LIT O PROILE //97 ORD AERODROE W.UEX page OTTLE PEO OL ABUN ONT OL. TONE TRUT/ UB GLEY > >6 LITH TOT ONIT TR POR IP PL AL B 9 n ZL ZL ZL ZL L ZL ZL ZL ZL ZL ZL ZL ZL ZL L ZL ZL ZL ZL ZL ZL ZL L ZL ZL Z ZL ZL YR44 64 YR4 YR444 YR46 YR4 YR44 YR4 YR464 YR YR444 YR666 loyrl YR4 YR44 YR4 VR4 YR44 YR4 YR44 YR46 YR4 YR44 YR46 YR46 YR YR YR46 YR46 YR4 YR444 YR4 YR444 YR4 YR4 YR6 OYR6 YR6 YR6 OYR6 OYR8 OYR6 OONOO YR68 OYR6 7YR46 YR8 loyr YR86 c c OONOO D D D D OONOO OONOO OONOO Y Y Y 4 H KR H H H 8 H +Z lints Dry ompact Dry ompact oist +Xlints Wet +andylenses Loose riable Loose riable Loose

14 APLE 4 I IP n: ALOl DEPTH r TEXTURE ZL ZL ZL ZL HL ZL ZL ZL ZL ZL ZL Z ZL ZL Z ZL ZL ZL HL ZL ZL ZL ZL OLOUR YR4 YR44 YR4 YR4 YR44 YR4 YR44 YR YR44 YR46 OYR4 YR4 YR46 YR4 YR44 YR4 YR44 YR4 YR44 YR44 YR4 YR4 YR444 YR4 YR44 YR444 YR46 OPLETE LIT O PROILE / OTTLE OL ABUN OOOOO OOOOO YR46 YR8 7YR8 7YR8 7YR8 7YR8 OOOOO OOOOO YR46 7YR8 PED ONT OL. OONOO OONOO OONOO OONOO OONOO OONOO OONOO GLEY s s s /97 ORD AERODROE W TONE- > >6 LITH TRUT/ TOT ONIT HDAB DAB DAB.UEX UB TR POR IP PL AL H H H H H H R R R page Veryrumbly GoodPorRoots Roots

Agricultural Land Classification and Statement of Physical Characteristics Higbfield Farm Whitley Bridge North Yorkshire October 1996

Agricultural Land Classification and Statement of Physical Characteristics Higbfield Farm Whitley Bridge North Yorkshire October 1996 Resource Planning Team ADAS Reference: 82/96 Leeds Statutory Group