Data suggests that one third of properties in England and Wales are located within close proximity of historic mining activities
Landmark Information’s assessment of historical mining records found that in 95 of the 385 local authority areas, over 50% of residential properties were located within close proximity of former mining activities and only 3 have no considered risk of mining activities.
RiskView environmental due diligence reports now includes enhanced mining, subsidence and ground hazards intelligence, including past insurance claims relating to ground movement.
The aim is to provide property owners, buyers and legal conveyances with greater insight to hazards relating to man-made natural risks for a given property.
The RiskView reports also include details of past insurance claims resulting from damage caused by subsidence to properties in the locale, providing ‘real life’ evidence of potential hazards for a given property.
If the RiskView report identifies the presence of a hazard, it could mean the property has a potential risk of structural damage from subsidence or heave.
Angela Gordon-Lennox, Head of Product, Environment, Legal & Mapping Landmark Information said: “Hazards relating to subsidence and other types of ground instability has the potential to cause widespread damage. You only have to look at recent news to see stories relating to subsidence, heave and sinkholes. Ground stability should always be considered as part of the property conveyancing process when buying a new home.
“When you talk to people about such risks, they don’t often realise the prevalence and regional variances in ground hazards across the country. It is therefore always worth researching risks of this nature to provide peace of mind.”
