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Our Data / Environmental Risk / Coal Mining

Coal Mining Risk

Coal mining subsidence risk from the Coal Authority's national planning constraints dataset. Identifies whether a property sits within a Development High Risk Area (report required) or Coal Mining Reporting Area (report recommended). Properties outside coal mining areas return no result.

Risk classification

The Coal Authority defines two constraint zones. Only properties within these zones get a result — an empty results array means the property is outside all coal mining areas.

Coal Authority Risk Zones
England, Wales & parts of Scotland
risks/coal_mining
High Development High Risk Area

Property is in an area with a history of coal extraction. Coal mining report required for planning applications. Mortgage lenders may require a completed report before lending.

label: "High" · in_high_risk_area: true
Medium Coal Mining Reporting Area

Property is in the broader reporting area — coal mining history is present in the region. Report recommended, particularly for new-build or recently extended properties.

label: "Medium" · in_reporting_area: true
Not applicable Outside all coal mining areas

No result returned. The property is outside both the Development High Risk Area and the Coal Mining Reporting Area. No coal mining report required.

results: [] (empty array)

Response fields

Only returned when the property is in a coal mining constraint zone. Empty results = no coal mining risk — not an error.

risk_type string Always "coal_mining"
label string "High" (Development High Risk) or "Medium" (Reporting Area)
score null Not applicable
intersects boolean True — property is within a Coal Authority constraint zone
distance_m integer 0 — point query at property location
search_radius_m integer 0 — no radius, exact location
properties.in_high_risk_area boolean True if in Development High Risk Area
properties.in_reporting_area boolean True if in Coal Mining Reporting Area (may also be high risk)
properties.description string Guidance text: "report required" or "report recommended"
Affected areas

Coal mining areas include: South Wales, Yorkshire, County Durham, Northumberland, Nottinghamshire, Derbyshire, South Staffordshire, parts of Scotland. Over 800,000 properties in England and Wales are in a reporting area.

Built for

Conveyancing tools

Coal mining searches are required for transactions in affected areas. Pre-screen at address input stage — only order the full search when the API says one is required.

Mortgage lending

Many lenders require a completed coal mining report before approving a mortgage in High Risk Areas. Identify these properties in the application pipeline before instructing valuers.

Planning & development

Development in High Risk Areas may require additional structural surveys. Screen sites during early feasibility to flag potential additional costs before committing to acquisition.

API example

GET /api/risks/coal_mining/?uprn= cURL
curl "https://api.homedata.co.uk/api/risks/coal_mining/?uprn=100050374842" \
  -H "Authorization: Api-Key YOUR_KEY"
Response — High risk property 200 OK
{
  "risk_type": "coal_mining",
  "uprn": 100050374842,
  "results": [
    {
      "risk_type": "coal_mining",
      "label": "High",
      "score": null,
      "intersects": true,
      "distance_m": 0,
      "search_radius_m": 0,
      "count": 1,
      "radius_description": "At property",
      "properties": {
        "description": "In development high risk
          area - coal mining report required",
        "in_high_risk_area": true,
        "in_reporting_area": true
      }
    }
  ]
}

Properties outside coal mining areas return {"results": []} — an empty array, not an error.