Coal Authority

Coal mining has a long and important role in the industrial history of Great Britain. This is especially true of the North East, which has a rich mining heritage.

Coal mining records are held and maintained by the Coal Authority on both opencast and deep mining activities. Not surprisingly, past or current coal mining activity can have an effect on surface property and in coal mining areas a coal-mining search is essential prior to the completion of a house purchase.

Coal mining may affect a property due to subsidence, although under the 1991 Coal Mining Subsidence Act, owners of property damaged by coal mining may be entitled to remedies including repair or depreciation compensation payments. A house may have been built over or near to old coal mineshafts and opencast mining can have an environmental impact.

How can a Coal Authority mining search help?

Coal mining searches are considered by property professionals as vital for anyone buying property in any coal mining area in Britain. The Coal Authority holds and maintains the national coal-mining database and provides a fast, accurate, property-specific and cost-effective coal mining search service for any property in England, Scotland and Wales.

A coal mining report also offers sections on the following:

Past and current underground coal mining activity along with details of any recorded old coal mineshafts and licences for future mining
Current opencast coal mining operations and whether the property was built over a worked out opencast site
Shafts and adits

Coal Authority mining reports cost £24.00 including VAT.

Commercial Coal Authority mining reports cost £60.00 including VAT.