Guidance

Agricultural land: assess proposals for development

What local planning authorities and developers should consider for development proposals and how to use agricultural land classification (ALC).

• From: Natural England
• Published: 16 January 2018
• Last updated: 24 July 2026
  Show all updates

  1. 24 July 2026

     Added a link to the predictive ALC Map for England in section 5. LPAs: carry out ALC assessments to support your planning decisions.

  2. 5 February 2021

     Added guidance on Defra's 25 year plan to improve the environment 'A Green Future' and how it plans to protect agricultural land and soils.

  3. 16 January 2018

     First published.

Applies to England

Documents

Guide to assessing development proposals on agricultural land

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Details

This guide explains how local planning authorities can assess proposals to protect the best and most versatile (BMV) agricultural land from inappropriate and unsustainable development.