FEATURE THE COAL AUTHORITY
Many parts of the UK were historically important coal mining locations, but what does this
mean for today’s property developers and builders?
AT THE COALFACE D id you know 11 per cent of the UK’s landmass is situated within a coalfield? That equates to roughly nine million properties currently
made it a lot easier for us to georeference the risks.” The most obvious risk of building within a coalfield has to do with the stability of the ground. In some cases, subsidence occurs, when the ground beneath a property sinks, pulling the property’s foundations down with it. This can lead to walls and floors moving, causing cracks and destabilisation. Fortunately, Simpson notes, “We have a very good public safety team that responds when one of these mining features causes challenges and risks to members of the public and established properties. Under our statutory obligations, we will investigate and remediate reactively any mine entry and
“It only became a requirement to keep records of where mining took place in 1872,” explains Andrew Simpson, Head of Innovation Business Development at the Coal Authority. “We have around 175,000 mining entries recorded on the system, but because of record-keeping only starting in 1872, the number of mining entries could be double that. “From 1872, the records are fairly good. But depending on how they were pulled together, in which parts of the country and which surveyors were drawing them, they differ in quality. It’s only in the 1970s and 1980s when standard measurements and drawings came into play, which then
in or near a coalfield, with 130,000 of those buildings just 20 metres away from at least one mine entry. The above data from the Coal Authority is vital to any developer or builder to ensure they take necessary precautions and risk assessments when building in or near a coalfield. However, despite the work being done by the Coal Authority, a non- departmental public body sponsored by the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero, the data is incomplete.
31
Master Builder
www.fmb.org.uk
Made with FlippingBook - professional solution for displaying marketing and sales documents online