Novarly Parcel · UK mining check · Guide
Do I need a coal mining search when buying a house?
If the property sits on the Great British coalfield — about one home in four — yes: your solicitor will order a CON29M official coal mining search (~£56, takes days) and your lender will expect it. The good news: you can find out right now, free, whether a postcode is in the coalfield and whether it is in a Development High Risk Area, so the search never surprises you.
Do I need a coal mining search when buying a house?
If the property is in a coal mining reporting area — roughly a quarter of homes in Great Britain — your conveyancing solicitor will almost always order a CON29M official coal mining search, and most mortgage lenders expect one. Outside the coalfield it is not needed. You can check whether a postcode is in the coalfield, and whether it sits in a Development High Risk Area, free, before instructing anyone.
How much does a coal mining search cost?
The official CON29M residential report from the Mining Remediation Authority costs roughly £56 including VAT, and third-party providers typically charge £50–£120 as part of a conveyancing search bundle. It takes days to arrive. A free instant screening tells you in seconds what the search is likely to say — useful before you even make an offer.
Does coal mining risk affect my mortgage?
Being in the coalfield does not usually block a mortgage — millions of homes are mortgaged there. Lenders rely on the CON29M search; issues arise when it reveals a recorded mine entry very close to the building, unresolved subsidence claims, or a current remediation case. Then the lender may ask for further investigation before approving.
What is a Development High Risk Area?
The part of the coalfield where the Mining Remediation Authority holds records of legacy features — mine entries (shafts and adits), shallow workings, mine gas, or fissures — with potential to affect surface stability. Planning applications there need a coal mining risk assessment. Around 40,000 such areas are mapped across Great Britain.
What happens if there is a mine shaft near a house?
Over 175,000 mine entries are recorded across the GB coalfield, and most properly treated shafts pose no day-to-day problem. What matters is whether an entry is recorded within influencing distance of the building, whether it was capped or treated, and what the ground has been doing since. The CON29M states recorded entries within 20 m of the property boundary; surveys and, where needed, ground investigation resolve the rest.
Can I check coal mining risk for free?
Yes. The official interactive map is free to browse, and our free postcode check reads the same official data — Development High/Low Risk Area status and statutory consultation areas — in one step, then our £19 report adds recorded mine entries mapped around the address, plus radon, noise, landfill and flood context. Neither replaces the CON29M for a transaction.
Data © Mining Remediation Authority (formerly the Coal Authority), OGL v3.0. This guide is general information, not legal or surveying advice; for any transaction rely on the CON29M official search and your professional advisers. Updated 2026-07-23.