Erection Of Side Extensions, Halifax Old Road, Birkby, Huddersfield, HD1

Case Study Reference: CS21-06-04

Planning Authority: Kirklees Council

Planning Reference: Kirklees Council and 2021/62/92215/W

Synopsis:

Due to the site being within a ‘Development High Risk Area’ the Coal Authority raised an object to the application until the applicant had submitted a Coal Mining Risk Assessment (CMRA).

The aim of a CMRA is to identify any coal mining legacy risks and set out a proposed mitigation strategy to demonstrate to the LPA that the site can be made safe and stable for the proposed development. In some cases it may be possible to ensure that the development layout avoids recorded high risk features.

The published geology indicated that the bedrock (Coal Measures) is present at the surface and two coal seams (Middle Band and the Soft Bed) seams outcrop to the south east of the site with the dip appears to go to the east.

The BGS borehole database was searched and no borehole were available in close proximity to the site, hover the closet to the site indicated that 11.5m of drift was present

Information provided by the Coal Authority indicated the Coal Authority believe there are probable shallow (within 30m of the surface) unrecorded coal seams under the site.

Given the possibility for coal to be close to the surface and the absence of any drift cover the possibility of bell pits could not be discounted, based on this it was proposed that a trial trench is excavated in order to look for evidence of bell pits as well as a borehole to determine of any coal seams were at shallow depth.

The recommendations of the report were accepted and the Coal Authority removed their objection to the application and the proposed works were conditioned.