Groundsure Cheshire Salt Search
Groundsure is proud to be the sole provider of the
Cheshire Salt Search report in partnership with the
Cheshire Brine Subsidence Compensation Board
The Cheshire Salt Search meets the requirements of professionals involved in property
transactions and development within the Cheshire Brine Compensation District. Much of
Cheshire is at increased risk of subsidence due to the presence of brine and previous
mining practices, and the extent of this risk is not always identifiable by proximity to
mines. In addition, previous compensation payouts mean that some properties are not
eligible for compensation in the event of damage caused. The report provides
information on how these matters affect a given property in Cheshire. It is necessary to
obtain it before purchasing a property or conducting development work in the county.
Individual CON29M and Cheshire Salt Search reports are rarely required for the same
property. The Cheshire Brine Compensation District and coalfield areas are distinctly
separate, apart from a very small overlap area.
Customers purchasing a Cheshire Salt Search report in the Cheshire Brine
Compensation District will not need to purchase a CON29M report unless they are
located in this salt/coal overlap area. The overlap area is approximately 18.2km² and
only holds approximately 259 postcodes, meaning that the number of potential
transactions in this region is extremely small.
Key features
● Identifies if the property falls within the Compensation District, and hence in
an area considered at increased risk of subsidence but potentially eligible for
compensation
● Considers if the property would be eligible for compensation under the 1952
and 1964 Acts if it is affected by brine pumping related subsidence in the
future
● Explains whether a property is situated in a Consultation Area, meaning it
could be difficult to gain planning permission for development, or structural
precautions may need to be taken
● Informs whether a Notice of Damage has been filed and accepted for the
property, meaning it is already deemed to have been damaged by ground
instability caused by brine pumping
● Checks if the property has been subject at any time to a “commutation
payment”, meaning it would be eligible for no further compensation in the
event of damage. However, if the commuted building has since been
demolished and replaced with further building, that building may be
potentially eligible for compensation.
● Clarifies whether a property is in an area underlain by a historical salt mine,
meaning it is in an area susceptible to subsidence.
● Informs whether the property is within an area designated to be within the
GS7 Planning Policy Boundary. The GS7 planning policy ensures that no
development takes place within the area covered by the policy until such
time that the site is rendered fit for development and mitigated against the
serious subsidence risk potentially associated with abandoned rock salt
mines in Northwich.
● Checks whether the property is within 20m of a known historical well or
shaft.
● Informs whether the property is within 200m of a planning consent of a brine
extraction by controlled pumping. Subsidence from controlled pumping is of
very low magnitudes.
● Clarifies whether a property is in an area underlain by an active salt mine.
The active mine workings are indicated to be stable following a large amount
of research, testing and monitoring being carried out at the mine
● Informs whether recorded subsidence features are within 50m of the
property, meaning it is in an area susceptible to subsidence.
Benefit to the end user
● Site boundary on MasterMap
● Intuitive layout and page flow
● The sole report produced in conjunction with the Cheshire Brine Subsidence
Compensation Board
● Clarity, reliability and accuracy.
Cheshire Brine Subsidence Compensation Board
The Cheshire Brine Pumping (Compensation for Subsidence) Act, 1952 set up a single
Compensation District covering the areas of Cheshire where there was the potential for
subsidence resulting from the pumping of brine. The Cheshire Brine Subsidence
Compensation Board was formed in order to discharge the duties set out in the Act.
About making a claim:
Any potential claimant who wishes to pursue a claim against The Brine Board must first
lodge a Prescribed Notice of Damage with the Brine Board. Provided that the property
has not been commuted and the applicant is permitted to make a claim, The Brine
Board will accept and file the Notice.
The Brine Board’s Surveyor will visit the property at an early opportunity to carry out an
inspection of the property and will prepare a report for the Board with a recommendation
to either accept or deny liability, or that further investigatory work or survey is required.
The Brine Board consider the report and their decision is enacted following the
meetings which are held quarterly. Initially, the claimant is notified of the Brine Board’s
decision, and if the Brine Board have accepted liability a structural engineer is often
mobilised to the property in order that a Schedule of Damage & Repair can be
prepared. The schedule is forwarded to at least two Firms for estimates for the works to
be obtained, and the Brine Board adjudicates regarding the estimates. Should the Brine
Board elect for the property to be repaired, a contractor is appointed to carry out the
work, usually by the owner of the property, but the work is inspected by the Brine Board
as it is undertaken and the Brine Board reimburse the cost of the contractor upon
satisfactory completion of the works. Where property owners wish to carry out repairs
as part of other work to the property (general refurbishment) then the Brine Board will
consider such a request by virtue of a “merged-works payment” to the claimant,
equivalent to the Brine Board’s proportion of the costs, paid upon satisfactory
completion of the works.
Exceptionally, should the Brine Board judge either that further significant ground
movements are likely to occur or that the property is beyond economic repair, the Brine
Board can elect to commute the property. This severs the Brine Board’s liability for any
future damage at the property upon payment of an agreed sum to the owner of the
property, usually equivalent to the market value of the property.
* Price dependant on size of the site.
**Reliance: £10m Professional Indemnity Insurance. Can be relied upon by all
professional parties within a property transaction, first purchasers/tenants and their
advisers. Please refer to Groundsure terms & conditions.
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