Coal MiningRisk Assessment
Why is a Coal Mining Risk Assessment (CMRA) required?
Coal Mining Risk Assessments are often requested during submission of planning applications in areas of known or suspected historical coal mining. Otherwise, a Phase 1 Desk Study may show that additional investigation for coal mining is required, or else the CMRA can be included as part of the Desk Study.
Prior to the 18th century, no formal records of mining activities were kept, and so in areas where coal is known to be present within 30m of the surface, there is potential for unrecorded underground workings to be present.
The Coal Authority has produced guidance on assessing the risks from mining which splits the coalfield areas into Low Risk areas (85%) and Development High Risk areas (15%). If your development site is within a Development High Risk area there’s a good chance that a coal mining risk assessment will be required. However, some exemptions may be made by the Coal Authority where building or groundworks are minimal.
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What’s included in a Coal Mining Risk Assessment?
The complexity and cost for a coal mining risk assessment depends on the size of the site, number of mine shafts and availability of historical mining records. Information on past mining is purchased from the Coal Authority who provide a wide range of reports at varying prices. Our mining experts and geologists review this information along with geological and historical maps of the area, which allows us to determine the location, depth and likelihood of past mining.
Finally a risk estimation, and recommendations for further assessment of works are given.
What will the Coal Mining Risk Assessment tell me as a developer?
Our report aims to identify the risks to your development and the next steps in the assessment process. Having this information at an early stage helps developers manage the costs of additional site investigation and remediation of mine workings or shafts, possibly by amending the development proposal which would negate remedial works altogether.
Get in touch with us to discuss your project and get a free, no obligation quote.
Why choose Chevin Geoenviro Associates?
We take the time to understand our client’s needs and work with them during the development process to ensure the costs are kept to a minimum. Our team has over 30 years’ experience of assessing and investigation of small development sites at risk from past coal mining, and so our reports can be completed within days of receiving an order.