FOI release

EIR2025/00943: Non-Coal Mining Subsidence and Housing

This request was refused in full, so we didn't provide the information the requester asked for. This may include information where we can neither confirm nor deny that we hold it.

Case reference EIR2025/00943

Received 15 October 2025

Published 30 December 2025

Request

Request Received: 15 October 2025

Dear British Geological Survey,

I am researching the risk of subsidence from non-coal mining (e.g., limestone, ironstone, salt, tin, fluorspar) to residential property in the United Kingdom.

Although I understand BGS is not a public authority for the purposes of the Freedom of Information Act 2000, I note that you operate an access-to-information policy in a similar spirit. I would therefore be grateful for the following:

1. Any digital dataset or map layer you hold that shows the approximate boundaries of former non-coal mining areas where significant voids or shallow workings are recorded.

2. The number of recorded instances of subsidence or crown-hole events attributed to non-coal mining that have affected residential properties in the last ten calendar years (2014-2024), broken down by local authority within the West Midlands.

3. Any published or internal reports since 2020 that assess the susceptibility of residential land to non-coal mining subsidence, including any advice given to local-planning authorities.

4. If the information is already available under licence, please advise the licence terms and cost for academic/private use.

If any part of the request is refused, please provide a refusal notice explaining which exemption is engaged and carry out a public-interest test where appropriate.

Response

Response Sent: 11 November 2025

Thank you for your email. BGS is part of UK Research and Innovation and therefore we are a public authority for the purposes of the Freedom of Information Act 2000 and the Environmental Information Regulations 2004. The information you have requested is environmental in nature, and therefore your request has been considered under the Environmental Information Regulations.

Question 1: The only data we have that indicates boundaries of non-coal mining areas is already available to you on the GeoIndex, if you add the ‘mine plan extents’ layer (found under the non-coal mining plans heading). You can also look at the mine plans portal to identify any plans that might be of interest. Because this information is already available to you via an existing service (either free to view via the viewers, or scans can be ordered via our GeoRecords service), this part of your request does not need to be managed under the legislation but can be managed under our ‘business as usual’ services.

Question 2: BGS does not hold this information therefore exception 12(4)(a) Information not held, applies.

Question 3: BGS does not hold any published or internal reports since 2020 that assess the susceptibility of residential land (specifically) to non-coal mining subsidence (therefore exception 12(4)(a) Information not held applies), but BGS does produce a dataset that assesses the susceptibility of land (generally) to non-coal mining subsidence. This is the BGS Mining hazard (non-coal) dataset that provides information on the potential for subsidence relating to non-coal mining, and this can be licenced via our existing data licensing service and therefore can be managed under our ‘business as usual’ services. If this data (in ESRI shapefile format, for use in a GIS) is of interest please contact digitaldata@bgs.ac.uk. The cost of the data is 34p per sq km plus £220 + VAT in licence administration and data preparation fees for private use. If you require the data for non-commercial, academic research use, it may be licenced free of charge. Information on the different licences and when they are used can be found here. Although BGS is not able to supply the data in a hard-copy format, it can be accessed in a report format on a site by site basis via our data partners and this might be a cheaper option for you. Please see the ‘property and environmental reports’ section.

BGS does not provide advice to local planning authorities concerning the susceptibility of land to non-coal mining subsidence and holds no internal or published reports within the scope of the request so exception 12(4)(a) Information not held, applies. It is possible that some local authorities could licence the Mining hazard (non-coal) data and use it for this purpose.

Documents

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