OS NGD Land Use
Introduction to the theme
The OS NGD Land Use Theme contains features which are geographical representations of areas identified as having a specific purpose (such as schools, universities, and caravan parks), as well as information about access to such areas.
In comparison with OS data from our traditional Download products, the OS NGD Land Use Theme data has been enriched with additional attribution, including the following:
Geometry change metadata
A Description attribute to provide a one-word or simple phrase description of the feature
Hierarchical land use classification
Data structure
The OS NGD Land Use Theme is made up of the OS NGD Land Use Features Collection, which in turn is comprised of the Site and Site Access Location Feature Types.
Unique identifiers
Two unique identifiers are provided with each feature within the OS NGD Land Use Theme:
OSID (Ordnance Survey Identifier): The primary identifier and unique key for this theme.
TOID (Topographic Identifier): An additional secondary identifier which can aid further data linking. TOIDs are an optional attribute and therefore will not always be provided with every feature.
What are land use sites?
A land use site is a geographic representation of an area that can be identified as being used for a particular purpose, for example, a school, shopping centre, or private residence. These are captured by OS primarily through manual or automated interpretation from aerial imagery. Sites seek to define the extent of the activity, and while this may be similar to or the same as the ownership information provided by HM Land Registry (HMLR) or Registers of Scotland (RoS), it should not be regarded as representing ownership. Sites do not indicate the definitive or legal extent, but rather the extent of usage or function. Often, the line of a legal boundary will coincide with a physical feature, such as a wall or a fence, but it is important to remember that the legal boundary is not the same as the physical feature.
As of March 2025, three new types of site were added to Land Use Sites descriptions: Beach, Military Training Area and Wind farm. Beaches will include Site Access Locations with attribution that highlights the nearest public road node and the direct distance to that node from the access point on the edge of the beach feature. Military Training Areas and Wind Farms will not include Site Access Locations.
The Access Purpose attribute was also added to Site Access Locations for key public sites in the March 2025 release to identify what a Site Access Location is being used for (Primary Public, Public, Private, or Emergency).
Useful links
An introductory guide to OS NGD Land Use is available on our More than Maps site. This guide details the layers, formats, and attribution available for OS NGD Land Use data along with additional helpful information.
Supporting planning and new housing developments: Discover how OS NGD Land Use data can support better planning and future modelling for new housing developments.
Last updated
Was this helpful?