Land Utilization Survey of Britain

Soon after the Survey was initiated in 1930 an official of the Ministry of Agriculture drew the attention of the writer to the existence of a manuscript record of land utilization relating, in general, to the years I840-I84I. From this record, which had been made in connection with certain changes in taxation, it is possible to construct a land-utilization map of much of the country for a period nearly Ioo years ago. A comparison of the two surveys has been carried out for a number of selected parishes in the region southwest of London.2 While it would be unwise to generalize, the results are interesting. They show, at least, how unwise it is to draw too many conclusions from published statistics alone! Statistics show a steady decrease in the arable acreage of Britain, offset mainly by an increase in permanent grass. On the whole, the trend is the same in all parts of the country: clearly the major causes are economic. When one comes to study the detailed land-utilization maps, however, the importance of local geographical factors is evident. There is a marked stability of conditions on the poorest land, a stability also on the best land-the changes are on land that from the point of view of soil and other factors is, as arable land, marginal. It might be thought that in this modern economic world the geographical factors would have ceased to be of primary importance. On the contrary their influence is more clearly traceable than ever in the past. A vast field of investigation is open to comparative study of this nature. It should lead to the establishment of trends in different parts of the country with different sets of factors and should furnish a key to future utilization. The direct uses of the survey have already been shown in a variety of ways. Several town and regional-planning authorities have taken the survey as a basis for their work, in order to proceed in such a way as to upset existing utilization as little as possible. A forestry research station is using existing distribution of wood lots as a clue to possible types of afforestation. A large city corporation has been able to demonstrate visually the importance of preserving certain tracts of land as public open spaces. One of the four main railway companies of Britain is displaying the published maps at all railway stations in each area to demonstrate the attractive nature of the country accessible by use of their round-trip tickets. A scheme for a great national park is able to show how roadways from populous areas to the park could be constructed without the purchase of large tracts of expensive improved land. Looked at broadly, a survey of existing land use is an essential prelude to all large-scale planning. In America, where land is abundant, it might be argued that as soon as a tract becomes desirable as part of a town development scheme its value

Archaeology · Geography · Land Rights and Reforms

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• Land utilization in the lower Hunter Valley, New South Wales, Australia

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• The Land of Britain, 1930-1990

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