The Land Cover Map 2024 (UK Land Cover Statistics) dataset summarises the coverage of different land cover types across Great Britain and Northern Ireland, classified into 21 UKCEH land cover classes, based upon Biodiversity Action Plan broad habitats. This data is provided in both .csv and geopackage (vector) formats. Statistics are calculated at country, county, and regional (England only) levels from the Land Cover Map 2024 (10 m classified pixels) datasets for Great Britain and Northern Ireland. A full description of this and all UKCEH LCM2024 products are available from the LCM2024 product documentation. In addition to UKCEH as copyright holders, the Land Cover Map 2024 (UK Land Cover Statistics) products use digital boundary products and reference maps. The source of the data is the Office for National Statistics and they are licensed under the Open Government Licence v.3.0. They contain OS data © Crown copyright and database right [2024]. Full details about this dataset can be found at https://doi.org/10.5285/0171ccb2-1c0c-404f-b782-e7204a86a92f

The Flood Map for Planning Service includes several layers of information. This includes the Flood Zones data which shows the extent of land at present day risk of flooding from rivers and the sea, ignoring the benefits of defences, for the following scenarios:

• Flood Zone 1 – Land having a less than 0.1% (1 in 1000) annual probability of flooding. • Flood Zone 2 – Land having between 0.1% - 1% (1 in 100 to 1 in 1000) annual probability of flooding from rivers or between 0.1% - 0.5% (1 in 200 to 1 in 1000) annual probability of flooding from the sea, and accepted recorded flood outlines . • Flood Zone 3 – Areas shown to be at a 1% (1 in 100) or greater annual probability of flooding from rivers or 0.5% (1 in 200) or greater annual probability of flooding from the sea.

Flood Zone 1 is not shown in this dataset, but covers all areas not contained within Flood Zones 2 and 3. Local Planning Authorities (LPAs) use the Flood Zones to determine if they must consult the Environment Agency on planning applications. They are also used to determine if development is incompatible and whether development is subject to the exception test. The Flood Zones are one of several flood risk datasets used to determine the need for planning applications to be supported by a Flood Risk Assessment (FRA) and subject to the sequential test.

The Flood Zones are a composite dataset including national and local modelled data, and information from past floods.

The Flood Zones are designed to only give an indication of flood risk to an area of land and are not suitable for showing whether an individual property is at risk of flooding. This is because we cannot know all the details about each property.

Users of these datasets should always check they are suitable for the intended use

Interactive map of Essex showing land owned by local authorities and central government.

Statutory Main Rivers Map is a spatial (polyline) dataset that defines statutory watercourses in England designated as Main Rivers by the Environment Agency.

Watercourses designated as ‘main river’ are generally the larger arterial watercourses. The Environment Agency has permissive powers, but not a duty, to carry out maintenance, improvement or construction work on designated main rivers.

All other open water courses in England are determined by statute as an ‘ordinary watercourse’. On these watercourses the Lead Local flood Authority or, if within an Internal Drainage District, the Internal Drainage Board have similar permissive powers to maintain and improve.

Defra has published strategic noise map data that give a snapshot of the estimated noise from major road and rail sources across England in 2017. The data was developed as part of implementing the Environmental Noise Directive.

This publication explains which noise sources were included in 2017 strategic noise mapping process. It provides summary maps for major road and rail sources and provides links to the detailed Geographic Information Systems (GIS) noise datasets.

This data will help transport authorities to better identify and prioritise relevant local action on noise. It will also be useful for planners, academics and others working to assess noise and its impacts.

Noise mapping Geographic Information Systems (GIS) datasets

Rail noise

• https://environment.data.gov.uk/dataset/5836745c-4e11-4767-94a5-2656f82e01a3">Laeq 16h: indicates the annual average noise levels for the 16-hour period between 0700 – 2300

• https://environment.data.gov.uk/dataset/e8e78e12-9297-450b-b875-e0523cb3c9ea">Lden: indicates a 24 hour annual average noise level with separate weightings for the evening and night periods

• https://environment.data.gov.uk/dataset/f6c0e3b6-3186-4d0a-b0e7-ca32bfb6573f">Lnight: indicates night time annual average noise level results in dB, where night is defined as 2300 - 0700

Road Noise

• https://environment.data.gov.uk/dataset/b9c6bf30-a02d-4378-94a0-2982de1bef86">Laeq 16h: indicates the annual average noise levels for the 16-hour period between 0700 – 2300

• https://environment.data.gov.uk/dataset/fd1c6327-ad77-42ae-a761-7c6a0866523d">Lden: indicates a 24 hour annual average noise level with separate weightings for the evening and night periods.

• https://environment.data.gov.uk/dataset/cc48e728-602a-4e8a-9221-49f661ab58f8">Lnight: indicates night time annual average noise level results in dB, where night is defined as 2300 - 0700

Other

• https://environment.data.gov.uk/dataset/4739c0c3-e800-4cb1-89cd-e71115b191e9">Agglomerations: urban areas Defra is required to undertake strategic noise mapping
• https://environment.data.gov.uk/dataset/55cdd950-fd18-421a-affd-130d659dc6fd">Noise action planning important areas: provide a framework for the local management of the Important Areas.

Noise exposure data

We’ve published data which shows the estimated number of people affected by noise from road traffic, railway and industrial sources.

• https://data.gov.uk/dataset/d461bbc1-eb51-4852-8a9a-45dbf28aa230/noise-exposure-data-round-3">Noise exposure data

Pollution Prevention and Control Act 1999/Regulations 2000 Part B Installations/PPC

The Rural-Urban Classification is a Government Statistical Service product developed by the Office for National Statistics; the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs; and the Welsh Assembly Government.Source: Office for National Statistics licensed under the Open Government Licence v.3.0.Contains OS data © Crown copyright 2025Links below to FAQ, Methodology and User GuideFAQ https://geoportal.statistics.gov.uk/documents/ebfac455db0642afaa5052738ce5c32e/about Methodology https://geoportal.statistics.gov.uk/documents/833a35f2a1ec49d98466b679ae0a0646/about User Guide https://geoportal.statistics.gov.uk/documents/c8e8e6db38e04cb8937569d74bce277a/about

A collection of hydrogeological maps created by the British Geological Survey between 1967 and 1994. The maps in the collection cover aspects of groundwater availability, exploitation and quality, and were published at various scales from 1:25 000 to 1:625 000. A hydrogeological map is a specialized type of map that illustrates the distribution and characteristics of hydrogeological features in a particular area. Hydrogeological maps of the UK provide information on major aquifers, including geological and lithological information, surface drainage systems and water quality issues. The 23 maps show information on surface water features, the three dimensional geometry of aquifers, groundwater levels, abstractions and quality including saline intrusion in varying amounts of detail. They range in scale from 1:625 000, for the national map of the hydrogeology of England and Wales, down to 1:25 000 for some of the smaller regional maps. These maps are important tools for understanding and managing groundwater resources, as well as for addressing water-related environmental issues. These maps are hard-copy paper records stored in the National Geoscience Data Centre (NGDC), and are delivered as digital scans through the BGS website.

A PDF map that shows the counties and unitary authorities in the United Kingdom as at 1 April 2023. (File Size - 583 KB)

A web map showing administrative geography hierarchy boundaries in the UK as at 31 December 2022.Boundaries used (BGC) for geographies in Great Britain are generalised (20m) and are clipped to the coastline for Great BritainBoundaries used (BGE) for geographies in Northern Ireland are generalised (20m) and are extent of the realm and are not clipped to the coastline for Northern Ireland.

A PDF map that shows the local authority districts, counties and unitary authorities in the United Kingdom as at April 2023. The map has been created to show the United Kingdom from country level down to local authority district level. (File Size - 1,909 KB)

A PDF map that shows the counties in England and Wales as at 31 December 1961. (File Size - 2.6 MB)

This dataset contains boundaries for land designated by a local planning authority as being green belt, grouped using the greenbelt core category. It can be used for planning purposes, such as preparing local plans to define areas that are kept permanently open and free from urban sprawl. Local planning authorities provide annual returns in March and we publish the data in autumn. This provides a snapshot in time and won't reflect any changes to green belt boundaries made since the local planning authorities submitted their annual returns.

The dataset comprises maps and aerial photographs of the Falkland Islands. The maps are printers films and final paper printed originals of Falkland Islands OS maps, compiled for the Falkland Islands Government and the Foreign and Commonwealth Office by the Overseas Directorate of the Ordnance Survey. They were discarded by the Ordnance Survey around 2004, and offered to BGS for storage on behalf of the Falkland Islands Government. The Falkland Islands Government retains copyright interest in the maps. There are no access or usage constraints for BGS staff for BGS purposes. The aerial photographs and associated paper overlays represent copies of field slips of geological maps that were compiled by BGS under contract to the Falkland Islands Government. Copyright remains with the Falkland Islands Government , but there are no access or usage constraints for BGS staff for BGS purposes. Access to both datasets are restricted to BGS staff.

This dataset is primarily intended to be used for informing development decisions. This dataset is incomplete, and contains some authoritative data provided by local authorities, as well as conservation area boundaries from Historic England, and other secondary sources found on data.gov.uk. The data currently contains a number of duplicate areas we are working to remove.

Geological map 'Standards', manuscript and published maps of Great Britain produced by the Survey on County Series (1:10560) and National Grid (1:10560 & 1:10000) Ordnance Survey base maps. Maps produced since the 1860's, current holdings over 41,000 maps, all now available internally as image files.