About us

The Cheshire Brine Pumping (Compensation for Subsidence) Act, 1952 set up a single compensation district covering all areas of Cheshire where subsidence resulting from the pumping of brine was considered to be a possibility. The Cheshire Brine Subsidence Compensation Board was formed in order to discharge the responsibilities resulting from the passing of this Act.

The main duties of the Board are to make compensation for specified categories of damage to land and buildings caused by subsidence due to brine pumping, and to give advice to the Planning Authorities and Building Control in connection with develpment on land which may be affected by historic brine pumping. The remit of the Board includes the issuing of statutory notices, liaison with the public, maintenance of file records, responding to planning enquiries, progressing of subsidence damage claims, maintenance of a claims register, monitoring of ground movements and preparation of search reports for property transactions. With regard to Planning and Building Control consultations, the Board is responsible for prescribing the Consultation Area under Section 38(1) of the 1952 Act and consultations are submitted by the Local Authorities to the Board as part of the planning process.

The Board has no liability for damage resulting from the collapse of current or abandoned salt mine workings or associated shafts.

Since 01 May 2006, the duties of the Board have been discharged as follows:

All matters excluding the Brine Search Report Service

If you wish to lodge a Prescribed Notice of Damage, file a Claim for Compensation, or make any other enquiries to the Board, please contact:

Cheshire Brine Subsidence Compensation Board
Sir Henry Doulton House
Forge Lane
Etruria
Stoke on Trent
ST1 5BD

Tel: 0845 002 0562
Fax: 0845 111 8888

Email: info@cheshirebrine.com


Cheshire Brine Search Reports Service

This service is currently being operated by The Coal Authority

Service details are as follows:

The search report will indicate:

- whether the property is situated within the Compensation District;
- whether the property is within a Consultation Area prescribed by the Cheshire Brine Board under the provisions of section 38(1) of the 1952 Act;
- whether a Notice of Damage has been filed in respect of the property and, if so, whether the claim was accepted and, if so, how the claim was discharged;
- whether claims in respect of the property have been commuted by a once and for all payment of compensation;
- whether the compensation provisions of the 1952 and 1964 Acts would apply should the property be affected at some future date by subsidence due to brine pumping.

Since 23 October 2006, the brine search has been incorporated in the Law Society approved CON 29M mining search, providing a combined coal and brine search report.

The current schedule of search fees is as follows:

CON29M Coal & Brine Residential Property Search
- Coal Authority On-Line Service Users £32.40 inc VAT
- Postal or Telephone Service Users £41.00 inc VAT

CON29M Coal & Brine Non-Residential Property or Site Search
- All Users £76.80 inc VAT (up to a maximum of 25 hectares)

No Search Required Certificate
- (On-Line Service Users only) £15.60 inc VAT

The prices stated above include VAT at the new 20% rate introduced on 4th January 2011.

For further information and online ordering, please refer to The Coal Authority

Customers may order searches electronically, either using the Authority's on-line service, through a National Land Information Service (NLIS) Channel Provider, or through a private sector search company; enabling the vast majority of searches to be returned within 24 to 48 hours.

Searches can also be made by post, fax or telephone. Customers should make payment with their account number or by credit/debit card.

Ordering by post – Please send a CON29M search form and plan of the property to: - The Coal Authority, Mining Reports, 200 Lichfield Lane, Mansfield, Nottinghamshire, NG18 4RG or DX 716176 MANSFIELD 5, quoting your account number.

Ordering by telephone – Call 0845 762 6848

Ordering online – go to Ground Stability Reports

How to Register for an Account
Register online using the ´Register For Service´ link from the home page of our Online Property Search Service. This enables you to enter the system with a User ID and Password, and for reports to be dispatched to you using pre-recorded address details.
Other benefits include:
• A Choice of Payment Options - registered customers can choose to pay by credit/debit card with RBS WorldPay, or by invoiced accounts (available to those customers who order on average, more than 5 reports each month, and subject to a formal credit agreement, with the Authority) & credit checks.
• Volume Related Discounts - for customers who order more than 250 reports a month. Please enquire for further details.
• Service Updates - we will let you know when improvements are made to our service and details of any changes to our fees.
• Order History (covering 2 weeks information) with the option to: update your own details, check on the status of the report, re-send and re-download reports yourself.

To apply for an account please select the Account option as your preferred method of payment when registering or amending your account details. This will automatically notify the Authority to send out the credit agreement form to you - payments can be made by credit card until this credit agreement has been processed and approved by us.


The existing CON29M report insurance for residential property (introduced in September 2003 and covered for no extra charge within the mining report fee) also covers the additional brine elements of the report.

The Coal Authority have extended their CON29M screening area to include the Cheshire Brine Subsidence Compensation District, which enables customers to ensure that they do not order searches unnecessarily. Whether a CON29M search needs to be made can be quickly established by using the updated published Directory or using the Coal Authority's On-Line Screening Service at Ground Stability Reports, which provides immediate on-line confirmation on entering a property address as to whether a CON29M 2006 search is required or not for both coal and brine.

The Coal Authority and Brine Board worked with the Law Society to implement the required changes to the CON29M enquiry form, Directory and Guidance, the Conveyancing Handbook and other best practice guidance and advice. A fully revised and updated Coal Mining and Brine Subsidence Claim Searches guide, containing the Law Society’s guidance and the Coal Authority’s advice and user guide to help customers order the search and understand the results, is available. The guide includes an updated Directory of Places in England and Wales showing the areas where a CON 29M is required, and a copy of the new form CON 29M (2006). The guide is available to view on the Coal Authority’s web-site at Ground Stability Reports.


Further information on the procedure to carry out a search can be obtained by contacting the Coal Authority Mining Reports Help-Line on 0845 762 6848 or by email groundstability@coal.gov.uk.