Local information requirements: Coal mining risk assessment

Types of application that require this information:

The following types of planning applications where they are located within development high risk areas and do not fall on the published exemption list:

• Full planning permission
• Outline planning permission
• Winning or working of minerals

Please consult the Development Management team for advice on whether a site is located within a development high risk area or use the Coal Authority online search service.

See the Coal Authority published exemptions list.

Details of what should be included:

Below is a brief outline of what an appropriate Coal Mining Risk Assessment (CMRA) should include:

• Introduction
• Sources of information used to inform the report
• Identification and assessment of site-specific coal mining risks
• Mitigation strategy proposed
• Conclusion
• Relevant appendices

Please refer to coal mining risk assessment guidance on GOV.UK for further detail information.

The CMRA must be prepared by a competent person and details of authors and reviewers and their relevant competencies should be identified at the start of the report. The relevant degrees which may be held by professionals competent to carry out a desk based Coal Mining Risk Assessment include:

• Geology
• Geotechnical engineering
• Mineral surveying
• Mining engineering
• Structural engineering

Although these are professionals which may be competent to prepare the desk based assessment, the Coal Authority considers that the sign off for these reports should be undertaken by a chartered engineer or geologist with at least 3 years’ experience in ground investigation.

The Coal Authority website.