Cheshire Salt Search

The Cheshire Salt Search is mandatory for property transactions within the Compensation District and includes details of whether the property lies within a statutory consultation area, past damage claims, commutation payments and future claims cover.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Key Benefits

• Site boundary on MasterMap – enables clear identification of boundary for title
• Intuitive layout and page flow
• The sole report produced in conjunction with the Cheshire Brine Subsidence Compensation Board
• Clarity, reliability and accuracy

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* 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.