The Coal Authority maintains information on past and present coal mining in a national database. The information can be reviewed to check if your site is in a high-risk area.
High-risk areas are defined as areas where land stability and other safety risks are associated with coal mining activities. High-risk sites include known/suspected shallow coal mining, recorded mine/adit entries and areas of former surface extraction.
The Coal Authority is a statutory consultee for any planning application within a high-risk area. A coal mining risk assessment will be required for any proposed residential, commercial or industrial development within a designated high-risk area.
The assessment would be based on a review of the Coal Authority mining report; a visit to the offices of the Coal Authority to assess mining plans; a review of modern and historical published geological maps; and review of any relevant technical reports/memoirs.
The British Geological Survey should be contacted to obtain any coal exploration, water well and site investigation borehole information.
If the coal mining risk assessment identifies a risk to a potential development a suitable intrusive site investigation will need to be commissioned. The investigation will assess the geological, hydrological and environmental liabilities associated with the proposed development.