Description: This is a spatial dataset that describes the geographic extent and location of ancient woodland habitat in England (excluding the Isles of Scilly). Ancient woodland is land that has had a continuous woodland cover since at least 1600 AD and may be ancient semi-natural woodland (ASNW), which retains a native tree and shrub cover that has not been planted, although it may have been managed by coppicing or felling and allowed to regenerate naturally, or plantation on ancient woodland sites (PAWS) where the original tree cover has been felled and replaced by planting, often with conifers, and usually over the last century.In total 51669 polygons were captured, covering approximately 366,067.03Ha.For further information, please see HS2-NEG-EV-GDE-000-000002Last Modified by Natural England 29th January 2015 (Downloaded 18th February 2015)
Description: Areas of Outstanding Nautral Beauty (AONB) are designated areas where protection is afforded to protect and manage the areas for visitors and local residents. By using this data you are accepting the Terms of Use for Natural England’s Information and Data as published at: http://www.naturalengland.org.uk/copyright. If you wish to use the data for commercial purposes you should contact Natural England's Enquiry Service, tel: 0845 600 3078, email: enquiries@naturalengland.org.uk.For further information, please see HS2-NEG-EV-GDE-000-000015Last Modified by Natural England 11th May 2015 (Downloaded 29th May 2015)
Description: *** PLEASE NOTE - This version of the Priority Habitats’ Inventory is being released as a beta release, with the intention to produce an updated version in the next few months***This is a spatial dataset that describes the geographic extent and location of Natural Environment and Rural Communities Act (2006) Section 41 habitats of principal importance.This inventory replaces Natural England's previous separate BAP habitat inventories: blanket bog, coastal & floodplain grazing marsh, coastal sand dunes, coastal vegetated shingle, deciduous woodland, fens, lowland calcareous grassland, lowland dry acid grassland, lowland heathland, lowland meadows, lowland raised bog, limestone pavements, maritime cliff and slope, mudflats, purple moor grass & rush pastures, reedbeds, saline lagoons, traditional orchards, undetermined grassland, upland calcareous grassland, upland hay meadows and upland heathland. These earlier inventories were produced from 1999 onwards and derived from habitat datasets collated from across the country, prioritising areas outside of designated sites. Inconsistencies in the quality of the underpinning data meant that the inventories were of variable quality with significant overlaps between habitats and gaps in coverage.The Priority Habitats’ Inventory (PHI) project began in April 2012 and combines the existing individual BAP habitat inventories into one national polygon layer. The objectives of the project were to:Address overlaps between the existing inventories, by identifying one main habitat per polygon.Improve the consistency with other data sources.Produce a layer that could more easily be updated.The Priority Habitats’ inventory was interpreted based on:Ordnance Survey MasterMap® (OSMM), polygonsused to capture the habitat boundaries.25 individual priority habitat inventories.ENSIS (Natural England’s SSSI database) & Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) management units. Data was extracted from ENSIS and attributed against the SSSI units. Information for each unit included main habitat, description, features and NVC codes.Farm Environment Plan (FEP), Rural Land Registry (RLR), & Higher Level Stewardship (HLS). FEP features & corresponding HLS management options were attributed against individual RLR parcels. FEP paper maps were not used.Contextual data included Coniferous Woodland, Moorland Line, OSMM descriptions.Aerial PhotographyOS MasterMap polygons have been used as the primary framework for mapping. However, because OSMM polygons in unenclosed areas provide a framework that is significantly coarser than the existing inventories, a process has been developed to enable OSMM polygons to be split against the existing habitat inventories when this added significantly to the resolution of mapping.Using all data inputs, a set of criteria were implemented to identify candidate main and additional habitats for each OSMM [or split OSMM] polygon. A series of rules were then applied to determine the most likely candidate for main habitat. The rules are set out in full in the supporting user guide.Criteria for a habitat to be mapped as main habitat (Main_habitat) were as follows:Habitat inventories with an extent ≥50% of OSMM [or split OSMM] polygon (PHI>50%)Higher Level Stewardship option/FEP feature combinations where the estimated feature extent ≥50% of OSMM [or split OSMM] polygon (FEP + HLS)SSSI Unit extent ≥50% of OSMM [or split OSMM] polygon with corresponding Level 1 and Level 2 features (ENSIS L1)The rules for eliminating or separating candidates for main habitats were as follows:1/1b. MasterMap description11c ENSIS description1d. NVC/HLS options2. Coniferous woodland3. Moorland boundary4. Max number of sources5. ‘Definitely is’6. NVC type7a. PHI fit + FEP/ENSIS 7b. FEP fit + PHI/ENSIS7c. SSSI fit + PHI/FEP8. Inventory Confidence9. MasterMap description10. Source Confidence(1Candidates incompatible with the MasterMap description completely excluded)For each inventory polygon, candidates for additional habitats were identified using the following tests:Discarded main habitat candidatesExisting coverage at <50% of polygon (PHI < 50%)FEP features not included as candidate for main habitat (FEP < 50%)ENSIS Level 2 feature with no corresponding LI feature (ENSIS L2)Candidate additional habitats were then removed on the basis of:A1. MasterMap DescriptionA2. Moorland BoundaryOutcome habitats for the Single Habitat Layer were:Blanket bog (BLBOG)Calaminarian grassland (CALAM)Coastal & floodplain grazing marsh (CFPGM)Coastal sand dunes (CSDUN)Coastal vegetated shingle (CVSHI)Deciduous woodland (DWOOD)Fragmented heath2(FHEAT)Grass Moorland2(GMOOR)Good quality semi-improved grassland2(GQSIG)Limestone pavements (LPAVE)Lowland calcareous grassland (LCGRA)Lowland dry acid grassland (LDAGR)Lowland fens (LFENS)Lowland heathland (LHEAT)Lowland meadows (LMEAD)Lowland raised bog (LRBOG)Maritime cliff & slope (MCSLP)Mountain heath & willow scrub (MHWSC)Mudflats (MUDFL)Purple moor grass & rush pastures (PMGRP)Reedbeds (RBEDS)Saline lagoons (SLAGO)Coastal saltmarsh (SALTM)Traditional orchards (TORCH)Upland calcareous grassland (UCGRA)Upland hay meadows (UHMEA)Upland heathland (UHEAT)Upland flushes, fens & swamps (UFFSW)(2Not a priority habitat)Where candidate habitats remain but no main habitat can be identified the whole polygon is mapped as ‘No main habitat but additional habitats’ and the priority habitats thought to be present are shown within the attribution as additional habitats. This may occur when:There are main habitat candidates but they are rejected based on the MasterMap description, e.g. lowland heathland under coniferous woodland.Inventory polygons intersecting the OSMM polygon fall below the minimum mapping unit (0.25ha)FEP features without corresponding HLS options or with the feature covering less than half the OSMM [or split polygon OSMM] polygonWhere no SSSI L2 feature corresponds with the L1 feature.Attribution:The attribution provides supporting evidence for the mapping within each polygon, and an audit trail explaining how the rules have driven the outcome.Main_habitat: Main priority habitat identified for the polygon, e.g. Lowland meadowsConfidence:High= Corresponding NVC data andHLS optionsMedium= Either corresponding NVC data or HLS optionsLow= All other polygonsSourcesEach polygon may have up to three sources for the main habitat which are attributed in the following priority:Inventory sourcesFEP + HLS sourcesAerial photographyENSIS featuresBase mappingEach source has the following fields:Source[n]: Title of source, e.g. North Pennines Digital NVC Survey.S[n]Date: Reference date of source, e.g. 01/01/2001S[n]HabClass: Habitat classification of the source, e.g. National Vegetation ClassificationS[n]HabType: Habitat type of the source, e.g. M19 H9BaseMapping: The base map scale, e.g. 1:10000or OS MasterMapAnnex_1: EU Habitats Directive (1992) Annex 1 habitats attributed based on correspondence with NVC data or where attributed in the inventories, e.g.Active blanket bogs (H7130)Add_habits: Additional habitats that may be present, but that were not identified as the main habitat for the polygon. e.g. BGS DiGMapGB-50 Superficial deposits = peat (Blanket bog) (2008); SSSI features: M4-6; U2-U6; Blanket bog and valley bog (upland); FEP features: M06: Blanket bogCandidates: Habitats identified as candidates for main or additional habitats. e.g. Main habitat: CFPGM (PHI > 50%), LMEAD (PHI > 50%, ENSIS L1), Additional: PMGRP (ENSIS L2 only)Rule_Decis:Outcome of rules used to separate candidates for main or additional habitats, e.g. Tests failed: 6.NVC type (CFPGM)GenComment: Determination comment for main habitat from the original habitat inventory.LastModDat: Parcel last modified date (including for manual updates)ModReason: Reason for last modification for manual corrections.Changes from previous versionThe most significant change from version 1.0 of the Priority Habitats’ Inventory (released June 2013) is the splitting of MasterMap polygons. MasterMap polygons have been split against all of the input habitat inventories (excluding coastal and floodplain grazing marsh) where this would not create a new polygon above the minimum mapping unit of 0.25ha.The criteria for identifying main habitats has been tightened. For FEP and HLS data the estimated feature area must be equivalent to half of the OSMM [or split OSMM] polygon. For ENSIS data, the Level 2 features must now correspond with the Level 1 feature descriptions, which have been manually validated.The confidence of the sources is now taken into account in attributing the main habitats. Inventory sources are now prioritised over FEP + HLS and ENSIS data. Inventory polygons of high confidence (e.g. ‘Definitely is’) are prioritised over those of low confidence (e.g. ‘data insufficient’).The attribution has been updated so that it is now closer to that of the original inventories, whilst standardising the attribution and continuing to provide an audit trail for how the main habitat was determined. The following additional datasets have been incorporated in this version:Environment Agency Coastal saltmarsh inventoryPeak District National Park Authority lowland meadows survey dataPeak District Dales Alkaline Fens SAC 2003Upper Teesdale (upland hay meadows)Updates ENSIS data Updates to FEP and HLS data Manual changes have been made to 3660 polygons comprising 11,603 ha. These are primarily:Separation of upland and lowland heathland, based on the Severely Disadvantaged Area boundary and 300m contour.Checking of maritime cliffs and slope areas against aerial photography and contour data.Incorporating new data from Natural England advisers’ field visits.Total number of polygons: 859570Overall area: 2,334,916 haFor further information, please see HS2-NEG-EV-GDE-000-000011Last Modified by Natural England 16th January 2015 (Downloaded 18th February 2015)
Description: A Ramsar site is the land listed as a Wetland of International Importance under the Convention on Wetlands of International Importance Especially as Waterfowl Habitat (the Ramsar Convention) 1971. Data supplied has the status of "Listed". The data does not include "proposed" sites. Supplied in England-wide and 100 x 100km tiles. Boundaries are mapped against Ordnance Survey MasterMap. By using this data you are accepting the terms of the Natural England-OS Open Government Licence (www.naturalengland.org.uk/copyright/default.aspx). For further info contact Natural England 0845 600 3078 enquiries@naturalengland.org.ukFor further information, please see HS2-NEG-EV-GDE-000-000017Last Modified by Natural England 9th January 2015 (Downloaded 18th February 2015)
Description: A Special Area of Conservation (SAC) is the land designated under Directive 92/43/EEC on the Conservation of Natural Habitats and of Wild Fauna and Flora. Data supplied has the status of "Candidate". The data does not include "proposed" Sites. Supplied in England-wide and 100 x 100km tiles. Boundaries are mapped against Ordnance Survey MasterMap. By using this data you are accepting the terms of the Natural England-OS Open Government Licence (www.naturalengland.org.uk/copyright/default.aspx). For further info contact Natural England 0845 600 3078 enquiries@naturalengland.org.ukFor further information, please see HS2-NEG-EV-GDE-000-000018Last Modified by Natural England 9th January 2015 (Downloaded 18th February 2015)
Description: A Special Protection Area (SPA) is the land classified under Directive 2009/147/EC on the Conservation of Wild Birds. Data supplied has the status "Classified". The data does not include "proposed" sites. Supplied in England-wide100 x 100km tiles. Boundaries are mapped against Ordnance Survey MasterMap. By using this data you are accepting the terms of the Natural England-OS Open Government Licence (www.naturalengland.org.uk/copyright/default.aspx). For further info contact Natural England 0845 600 3078 enquiries@naturalengland.org.ukFor further information, please see HS2-NEG-EV-GDE-000-000019Last Modified by Natural England 9th January 2015 (Downloaded 18th February 2015)
Description: A Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) is the land notified as an SSSI under the Wildlife and Countryside Act (1981), as amended. Sites notified under the 1949 Act only are not included in the Data set. SSSI are the finest sites for wildlife and natural features in England, supporting many characteristic, rare and endangered species, habitats and natural features. The data do not include "proposed" sites. Supplied in England-wide and 100 x 100km tiles. Boundaries are generally mapped against Ordnance Survey MasterMap. By using this data you are accepting the terms of the Natural England-OS Open Government Licence (www.naturalengland.org.uk/copyright/default.aspx). For further info contact Natural England 0845 600 3078 enquiries@naturalengland.org.ukFor further information, please see HS2-NEG-EV-GDE-000-000020Last Modified by Natural England 9th January 2015 (Downloaded 18th February 2015)
Description: Agricultural land classified into five grades. Grade one is best quality and grade five is poorest quality. A number of consistent criteria used for assessment which include climate (temperature, rainfall, aspect, exposure, frost risk), site (gradient, micro-relief, flood risk) and soil (depth, structure, texture, chemicals, stoniness).
Description: Local Nature Reserves are a statutory designation made under Section 21 of the National Parks and Access to the Countryside Act 1949 by principal local authorities. The data does not include "proposed" sites. Boundaries are mapped against Ordnance Survey MasterMap. By using this data you are accepting the terms of the Natural England-OS Open Government Licence for indicative data (www.naturalengland.org.uk/copyright/default.aspx). For further info contact Natural England 0845 600 3078 enquiries@naturalengland.org.ukFor further information, please see HS2-NEG-EV-GDE-000-000006Last Modified by Natural England 11th May 2015 (Downloaded 29th May 2015)
Description: A National Nature Reserve (NNR) is the land declared under the National Parks and Access to the Countryside Act 1949 or Wildlife and Countryside Act (1981) as amended. The data does not include "proposed" sites. Supplied in England-wide and 100 x 100km tiles. Boundaries are mapped against Ordnance Survey MasterMap. By using this data you are accepting the terms of the Natural England-OS Open Government Licence for indicative data (www.naturalengland.org.uk/copyright/default.aspx). For further info contact Natural England 0845 600 3078 enquiries@naturalengland.org.ukFor further information, please see HS2-NEG-EV-GDE-000-000024Last Modified by Natural England 11th May 2015 (Downloaded 29th May 2015)
Description: National Parks are run by National Park Authorities for the purpose of conserving and enhancing the natural beauty, wildlife and cultural heritage and to provide opportunities for the understanding and enjoyment of the Park by the public. [An alteration: South Downs National Park (Designation) Confirmation Order 2009 as modified by Order of the High Court on 2 June 2010.] By using this data you are accepting the Terms of Use for Natural England’s Information and Data as published at: http://www.naturalengland.org.uk/copyright If you wish to use the data for commercial purposes you should contact Natural England's Enquiry Service, tel: 0845 600 3078, email: enquiries@naturalengland.org.uk. Note the Lake District Yorkshire Dales National Parks Variation Orders 2012 (see LGL_NATEN_Lake_District_Yorkshire_Dales_National_Parks_Variation_Orders_2012).For further information, please see HS2-NEG-EV-GDE-000-000025Last Modified by Natural England 11th May 2015 (Downloaded 29th May 2015)
Description: More than 400 Country Parks exist. They are public green spaces often at the edge of urban areas which provide places to enjoy the outdoors and experience nature in an informal semi-rural park setting. Country Parks normally have some facilities such as a car park, toilets, perhaps a cafe or kiosk, paths and trails, and visitor information. There is not necessarily public right of access, although most are publicly accessible; some charge entry others do not. Most are owned and managed by Local Authorities. Many Country Parks were designated in the 1970s by the then Countryside Commission, under the Countryside Act 1968. More recently Country Parks have been created under a less formal arrangement and Natural England is working with partners to encourage a renaissance and accreditation of parks which meet certain criteria. The dataset contains boundaries of each Country Park, digitised against Ordnance Survey MasterMap using source maps supplied by Local Authorities. If you are an owner/manager of a Country Park and would like to tell Natural England about a boundary change please contact sally.pinnegar@naturalengland.org.uk By using this data you are accepting the Terms of Use for Natural England’s Information and Data as published at: http://www.naturalengland.org.uk/copyright If you wish to use the data for commercial purposes you should contact Natural England's Enquiry Service, tel: 0845 600 3078, email: enquiries@naturalengland.org.uk.For further information, please see HS2-NEG-EV-GDE-000-000023Last Modified by Natural England 11th May 2015 (Downloaded 29th May 2015)
Description: Parks and Gardens as included on the Register of Historic Parks and Gardens, with the location of each one recorded as a polygon. The spatial depiction is purely an indication of spatial extent and should always be used in conjunction with the textual description. For legal perspective please consult original paper maps.For further information, please see HS2-EHR-EV-GDE-000-000005Last Modified by Historic England 26th May 2015 (Downloaded 29th May 2015)
Description: Archaeological sites in England considered to be of national importance, with the limit of each site recorded as a polygon.For further information, please see HS2-EHR-EV-GDE-000-000007Last Modified by Historic England 26th May 2015 (Downloaded 29th May 2015)
Description: The Flood Map shows the areas across England and Wales that could be affected by flooding from rivers/from the sea/from rivers and, or the sea. It also shows flood defences and the areas that benefit from certain defences. Flood Map is designed to raise awareness among the public, local authorities and other organisations of the likelihood of flooding, and to encourage people living and working in areas prone to flooding to find out more and take appropriate action.The Flood Map includes the following layers of information:Flood Defences shows those defences constructed during the last five years with a standard of protection equal to or better than 1% (1 in 100) for rivers and 0.5% (1 in 200) from the sea. (Some additional defences area also shown.) Flood Storage Areas shows those areas that act as a balancing reservoir, storage basin or balancing pond. Their purpose is to attenuate an incoming flood peak to a flow level that can be accepted by the downstream channel. It may also delay the timing of a flood peak so that its volume is discharged over a longer time interval.Areas Benefiting from Flood Defences shows those areas that would benefit from the presence of formal flood defences in the event of flooding from rivers with a 1% (1 in 100) chance in any given year, or flooding from the sea with a 0.5% (1 in 200) chance in any given year. If the defences were not there, these areas would be flooded. Flood Zone 3 is the Agency's best estimate of the areas of land with a 1% (1 in 100), or greater, chance of flooding each year from rivers, or with a 0.5% (1 in 200) chance, or greater, of flooding each year from the sea. Flood Zone 2 is the Agency's best estimate of the areas of land between Zone 3 and the extent of the flood from rivers/from the sea/from rivers and, or the sea with a 0.1% (1 in 1000) chance of flooding in any year.Data was re-supplied for the whole of England in January 2014 and replaces an earlier extent of the Y route.For further information, please see HS2-EAG-EV-GDE-000-000009Last Modified by Environment Agency April 2015 (Downloaded 29th May 2015)
Description: The Flood Map shows the areas across England and Wales that could be affected by flooding from rivers/from the sea/from rivers and, or the sea. It also shows flood defences and the areas that benefit from certain defences. Flood Map is designed to raise awareness among the public, local authorities and other organisations of the likelihood of flooding, and to encourage people living and working in areas prone to flooding to find out more and take appropriate action.The Flood Map includes the following layers of information:Flood Defences shows those defences constructed during the last five years with a standard of protection equal to or better than 1% (1 in 100) for rivers and 0.5% (1 in 200) from the sea. (Some additional defences area also shown.) Flood Storage Areas shows those areas that act as a balancing reservoir, storage basin or balancing pond. Their purpose is to attenuate an incoming flood peak to a flow level that can be accepted by the downstream channel. It may also delay the timing of a flood peak so that its volume is discharged over a longer time interval.Areas Benefiting from Flood Defences shows those areas that would benefit from the presence of formal flood defences in the event of flooding from rivers with a 1% (1 in 100) chance in any given year, or flooding from the sea with a 0.5% (1 in 200) chance in any given year. If the defences were not there, these areas would be flooded. Flood Zone 3 is the Agency's best estimate of the areas of land with a 1% (1 in 100), or greater, chance of flooding each year from rivers, or with a 0.5% (1 in 200) chance, or greater, of flooding each year from the sea. Flood Zone 2 is the Agency's best estimate of the areas of land between Zone 3 and the extent of the flood from rivers/from the sea/from rivers and, or the sea with a 0.1% (1 in 1000) chance of flooding in any year.Data was re-supplied for the whole of England in January 2014 and replaces an earlier extent of the Y route.Last Modified by Environment Agency April 2015 (Downloaded 29th May 2015)
Description: Source Protection Zones have been merged as public facing boundaries where discrete groundwater bodies within SPZs have been dissolved on zone number where common boundaries and overlaps have been removed and are represented as 1:50K polygon shapefiles.Data was re-supplied for the whole of England in January 2014 and replaces an earlier extent of the Y route.For further information, please see HS2-EAG-EV-GDE-000-000009Last Modified by Environment Agency April 2015 (Downloaded 29th May 2015)
Description: The Flood Map shows the areas across England and Wales that could be affected by flooding from rivers/from the sea/from rivers and, or the sea. It also shows flood defences and the areas that benefit from certain defences. Flood Map is designed to raise awareness among the public, local authorities and other organisations of the likelihood of flooding, and to encourage people living and working in areas prone to flooding to find out more and take appropriate action.The Flood Map includes the following layers of information:Flood Defences shows those defences constructed during the last five years with a standard of protection equal to or better than 1% (1 in 100) for rivers and 0.5% (1 in 200) from the sea. (Some additional defences area also shown.) Flood Storage Areas shows those areas that act as a balancing reservoir, storage basin or balancing pond. Their purpose is to attenuate an incoming flood peak to a flow level that can be accepted by the downstream channel. It may also delay the timing of a flood peak so that its volume is discharged over a longer time interval.Areas Benefiting from Flood Defences shows those areas that would benefit from the presence of formal flood defences in the event of flooding from rivers with a 1% (1 in 100) chance in any given year, or flooding from the sea with a 0.5% (1 in 200) chance in any given year. If the defences were not there, these areas would be flooded. Flood Zone 3 is the Agency's best estimate of the areas of land with a 1% (1 in 100), or greater, chance of flooding each year from rivers, or with a 0.5% (1 in 200) chance, or greater, of flooding each year from the sea. Flood Zone 2 is the Agency's best estimate of the areas of land between Zone 3 and the extent of the flood from rivers/from the sea/from rivers and, or the sea with a 0.1% (1 in 1000) chance of flooding in any year.For further information, please see HS2-EAG-EV-GDE-000-000009Last Modified by Environment Agency April 2015 (Downloaded 29th May 2015)