Mining

Pinpoint Coal Mining Risk Regulated Report

The PinPoint Coal Risk Report is a PCCB Regulated assessment of coal risk that provides a detailed assessment regarding environmental or ground stability hazards resulting from past, current or future underground or opencast mining activities. It also includes information relating to subsidence claims, mine entry points, surface hazards and mining geology that may impact on a property.

The benefits to you
Utilising PinPoint’s proprietary data and its intelligent Zone of Influence algorithms to automatically calculate risk, backed by its expert team of former Coal Authority officers and industry surveyors, PinPoint is a reliable source to help professionals easily interpret hazards relating to a property address. If evidence of Mine Entries or Subsidence Claims are found, interpretive modules within the report provide additional information, saving you and your client money on follow up reports. With a turnaround time of within an hour, Professional Indemnity cover of £10 million and Information Accuracy Indemnity of £100,000 per report, provided by Aviva, PinPoint Coal is reassuringly efficient.

Delivering mining insight and assurances
PinPoint supports property solicitors, lenders and clients by providing expert intelligence and interpretation regarding mining-related hazards. It does so in an easy to read and understand report that advises on the potential impact mining activity may have on the property in question. With PinPoint owning its own extensive database of mining data, combined with expert and advanced risk modelling techniques to automatically calculate risk, reports are delivered within an hour and are backed by Aviva indemnity of up to £100,000 per report, providing recipients with complete confidence in the results.

Mining due diligence The PinPoint Coal Mining Risk Report assesses the impact of the following:

• Automated ‘Zones of Influence’ calculations
• Potential Mining Risk areas
• Mining Abandonment Plans
• Mine Entries
• Mining Geology
• Underground Workings
• Underground Roadways
• Opencast Mining
• Subsidence Claims
• Surface Hazards
• Mine Gas Incidents

Why choose PinPoint’s Coal Mining Risk Report?

• Automated report: intelligent algorithms determine reliable risk levels in just minutes
• Interpretive Modules: our report includes additional information when evidence of Mine Entries or Subsidence Claims are
found saving you money on follow up reports
• Includes underground roadways, mineral screening and mining geology as standard
• Brine risk insurance provides peace of mind
• Expert analysis and assessment at a competitive market rate
• Report available in minutes from ordering

Landmark Homecheck Mining & Subsidence Risk

Landmark provides environmental and other location-based risk information to the residential and commercial property sectors in England, Wales and Scotland.

The Landmark Homecheck Mining & Subsidence Risk is a desktop report specifically designed for residential property transactions, which will highlight any potential mining and subsidence hazards at a property that could leave it at the risk of structural damage from subsidence or heave.

The report covers a wide range of hazards from man-made – such as mining and infilled ground– to those from natural sources, including landslides and sink holes. The report identifies where such hazards exist, providing additional information and guidance on the next steps to take.

Uniquely, this report also includes information on real cases of insurance claims from subsidence in the postcode of the property, including claims handled by the Coal Authority.

The Coal Authority CON29M

CON29M

coal mining report

Our industry leading official coal mining report

Our official CON29M report is the industry leading report for the conveyancing market, detailing key coal mining risks to support property transactions.

What does it cover?

• all known or potential coal mining risks
• on or off coalfield confirmation
• professional opinion
• concise glossary
• further action recommendations
• colour coded mining risk summary

Why you need it

Produced by our in house specialists, our official CON29M offers comprehensive advice on potential coal mining risks for use during the conveyancing process.
Our official CON29M highlights key information specific to a property, at a glance – enabling faster and better informed decisions.

Our industry leading official CON29M – delivering peace of mind

• our professional opinion delivers peace of mind to clients, insurers and lenders alike by outlining current or potential
  coal mining risks
• we include additional details on appropriate mine entries, future known development and advice on obtaining a coal mining risk assessment
• we include a free coal and Cheshire Brine alert as part of our online ordering process
• we provide answers in line with the very latest Law Society guidance
• our redesigned concise report can save you time and money on printing costs
• our residential property insurance provides protection and reassurance for residential property owners in the event of changes to mining information
• our report gives direct links to access relevant interpretive follow on reports
• our concise and handy glossary helps to explain mining terms

Why we’re great to work with

• since 1994, the Coal Authority has managed the effects of past coal mining on behalf of the Government to protect the public and the environment, giving us our trusted heritage and knowledge of the coal mining industry

• we’re recognised by major lenders as a leading and trusted provider of coal mining search reports

• our dedicated in house teams are on hand to support you with any questions you may have before, during and after purchasing a report

• access to our in house specialists means that we can provide dedicated support to conveyancers, geotechnical and environmental consultants, search providers and homebuyers direct

Groundsure CON29M

Groundsure now produces its own CON29M Mining Search for both residential and commercial property transactions, identifying current and historic mining impact that may affect a property or land transaction. The Groundsure CON29M Official Coal Mining Residential Search is officially accredited by the Law Society and answers all official 11 questions requested in the Law Society’s 2018 guidance notes. The report includes additional information where the land or property falls under the Cheshire Brine Compensation area. The 11 Law Society questions refer to past, present and future underground coal mining; coal mining geology; past, present and future opencast coal mining; coal mining subsidence claims; mine gas emissions; and emergency call-out incidents.

The report includes official licensed Coal Authority data and a comprehensive Coal Search Report Insurance Policy.

Groundsure Georisk

Historic mining and ground stability affects properties across the country – your clients’ transactions need protecting. GeoRisk is now the standard to provide that protection and assurance. Provided by the experts at Groundsure and Mining Searches UK (MSUK). GeoRisk goes above and beyond the guidance of the Law Society Conveyancing Handbook on mineral extraction and ground stability.

• Over 50% of the data in GeoRisk is unique mining and ground stability data that is unavailable elsewhere.
• Provides trusted analysis from leading experts Mining Searches UK.
• Optimised design and navigation brought to you by the leading brand in property searches.

The report covers in-depth and vast datasets across key areas of ground risk:
• Non-coal mining (with opinion provided by an in-house mining expert)
• Ground stability (natural and non-natural)
• Satellite monitoring (recorded ‘real-world’ ground movement)

GeoRisk:

MSUK Mining Features

Unique and authoritative data on past mining features and
associated infrastructure derived from mine plans and other
sources, collated and curated by MSUK from 40 years
of consulting.

Mining Records

Rich data indicating the presence or likelihood of past mining activity from a variety of authoritative sources.
Historical Features Past mining activity as depicted on historical maps. Mining features from Groundsure’s unique and comprehensive
Historical Land Use Database derived from analysis of 1.5 million high-resolution scans of historical OS maps.

Geological Features

Geological data from the British Geological Survey (BGS) that could indicate the presence of past mining activity.
This data is provided at the highest resolution available. Oil and Gas Extraction Data on the presence or potential presence of oil and gas extraction. Information on exploration areas (‘licensed’ and ‘offered’), alongside existing wells and, unique to
Groundsure, potential wells identified in the planning system – giving advanced warning of future development.

Coastal Erosion

Understand risks to property from loss of land to the sea. Projections on imminent risk are provided alongside potential risk to your clients’ long term property investment.

Coal Mining Alert
Alerts to a need for a full coal mining risk assessment if the property is within the Coal Mining Reporting Area.

Satellite Monitoring

Satellite radar data analysed to measure real-world ground movement, accurate to the millimetre. Produced by ground movement experts SatSense and updated every six days on a continuous cycle. Risk to property is summarised into a simple traffic light system across six risk indices, relating to different spatial scales and types of movement.

Natural Instability

Comprehensive natural instability data including brand new BGS data on the risk from shrink-swell subsidence. It looks at geology, the presence of trees (Bluesky’s National Tree Map), and local building attributes to deliver a clear hazard score. Full GeoSure data, natural cavities data, and the BGS National Landslides Index are also included.

Infilled Land

Areas of infilled land can often indicate ground instability. Data is provided on current and historical landfills, along
with unique and proprietary data derived from historical mapping and local authority records.

Sinkholes

A comprehensive alert to the likely presence of sinkholes. Includes recent sinkhole incidents in media reports, incidents
recorded by the BGS and Peter Brett Associates, and past incidents from Groundsure’s Historical Land Use Database.
This dataset contains 75,000 recorded sinkhole incidents – the largest dataset available.

Cheshire Brine Alert

Alerts to a need for a full brine risk assessment if the property is within the Cheshire Brine Compensation District.

All mining and ground risk covered every time. GeoRisk + includes everything in the GeoRisk report plus:
• Coal mining (fully integrated Groundsure CON29M Official Coal Mining Search Report including a mine entry interpretive assessment).
• Brine (a Groundsure Cheshire Salt Search when ordered in the Cheshire Brine Compensation District).

Coal mining (CON29M)
A full assessment of the potential risk from coal mining with a CON29M Official Coal Mining Search integrated into the report and risk assessment. Also includes a mine entry interpretive assessment as standard. Residential and Commercial versions available where applicable.

Cheshire brine
A full Cheshire Salt Search is included with the report when the property is within the Cheshire Brine Compensation District and includes further information on records held
by the Cheshire Brine Subsidence Compensation Board.

Why these reports?
• Whilst 25% of properties lie on the coalfield, Groundsure estimates that a further 43% of properties may also be affected by mining and ground stability issues unrelated to coal mining – don’t let your clients down – this is the best suite of mining reports that gives you everything you will need.
• The most comprehensive mining reports available – no additional reports required.
• Several new and unique datasets are included in this report – it includes everything that is already available in the market but with lots more.
• Expert Groundsure and MSUK advice – geo-environmental experts giving clear guidance and advice on complex mining and ground
stability issues.
• Easy to navigate and easy to understand client ready copy – meaning fewer queries and a faster workflow.
• Competitively priced – however you look at it this is the best option – saving time and money with every transaction.

Terrafirma CON29M Report

Terrafirma is a leading provider of environmental information and data intelligence, using innovative data-driven processes, protected by an expert professional opinion, to ensure professionals and consumers are given clear insight on the risks to property.

These risks include historical mining and shale gas extraction, the impact of radon exposure and the risks of natural ground movement.

Terrafirma is the first commercial organisation licensed by the Law Society as a report producer of the official CON29M Report.

This official alternative to the Coal Authority’s CON29M, the Terrafirma CON29M uses Coal Authority licensed data to answer 11 crucial questions (14 for commercial properties) and meets all the requirements of the most recent (2018) Law Society guidance.

Terrafirma’s mining reports provide information on past, present and future underground and surface coal mining activity for any property or site in England and Wales.

Offering the most up-to-date analysis of data and providing an expert professional opinion, the official Terrafirma CON29M Report uses quality risk screening and assessment to ensure a prospective purchaser has a better understanding of what coal mining risks face their property.

The more thorough nature of the report means a conveyancing solicitor will no longer be required to report on a liability of which they do not have detailed knowledge, reducing the amount of time spent reporting back to client or lender.

Terrafirma Ground Report

The Terrafirma Ground Report translates the risk from mining activity, subsidence, sinkholes, radon, fracking, mineral planning activity
and much more, allowing the purchaser to better understand the ground. Including Terrafirma’s official CON29M, as licensed by the Law Society, the Terrafirma Ground Report utilises never-seen-before data and technology-driven solutions to model and intelligently analyse the potential impact of man-made and natural ground perils on property purchase, mortgage lending and development activity.

One of its unique features is that all report outcomes are colour-coded in a traffic light style system to ensure the correct party within the transaction can easily and efficiently action the relevant recommendations. Dynamic next steps and an industry-leading professional opinion ensure the purchaser is fully informed and report terms and conditions containing £10 million professional indemnity per report ensures any risks are comprehensively transferred from the solicitor to the experts at Terrafirma.

In a ‘world first’, the Terrafirma Ground Report also includes an expert analysis of ground movement which identifies ‘real-world’ evidence of past or current subsidence using investigated subsidence claims, satellite-derived surface deformation and Terrafirma’s exclusive SinkholeALERT databases.

Tin Mining Search

A Mining Search is a concise report that assesses the likelihood of a property being affected by mining subsidence.
Where a property is in the south-west, including Cornwall and Devon, a tin mining search would be the recommended option from the Law Society and the Council of Mortgage Lenders for the conveyancing solicitors.
A Tin Mining report will reveal if a property sits in an area of historic, current or proposed mining activity, reveal the location and distance to the nearest recorded and suspected mine workings and indicate the presence of any significant geological features.
Each desktop report is created by experts with local knowledge who can interpret complex information clearly and accurately to the benefit of clients.

Groundsure Mine Entry Report

Groundsure are now able to provide a Mine Entry Report. This is a follow-up report to the Groundsure CON29M Official Coal Mining Search. Where mine entries (shafts and adits) are identified within 20m of a property, the CON29M recommends that they are investigated further through this interpretative report.

This new report includes:

A clear statement of risk associated with mine entries within 20m of the property
Further details provided on each mine entry
The calculated zone of influence for each mine entry
Where appropriate connecting underground roadways are included
An OS MasterMap site plan displaying the zone of influence of each mine entry
Guidance on next steps in the event of subsidence damage

Groundsure Cheshire Salt

Groundsure is the sole provider of the Cheshire Salt Search report in partnership with the Cheshire Brine Subsidence Compensation Board. This report is a Law Society requirement on subsidence risk due to extensive brine extraction in this county.

The report provides information on current and previous brine mining practices, including the eligibility of a property for compensation in the event of any damage caused.

Where a Cheshire Salt Brine report has been instructed, a conveyancing solicitor will not need to instruct a CON29M report unless the property is located in the salt/coal overlap area, which applies only to approximately 259 postcodes.