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The new and comprehensive residential environmental risk report – Groundsure Homebuyers Plus – is now available to order on tmconvey. 

Homebuyers Plus offers an enhanced version of the existing Homebuyers report and reviews flood, contaminated land and ground stability – alongside screening other environmental risks such as energy, transportation and planning. 

Key features of Homebuyers Plus:

• Each report has fewer pages (up to 70% less) and only includes relevant data, so there are no blank maps or excessive data – and conveyancers benefit from reduced printing and postage costs. 

• Flood risk assessment now includes new JBA 5 metre groundwater data, in addition to all other flooding sources.  

• It uses Land Registry polygons, and so provides a higher level of accuracy. 

Homebuyers Plus also comes with improved layout and design, as well as clearer navigation, to help improve overall workflow. While clear and practical recommendations offer a “jargon free” explanation and make it easier – and up to 10 minutes quicker – for conveyancers to communicate the results of each report to their clients.

The Groundsure Homebuyers Plus report is now available to order on tmconvey. You can view a sample ‘pass’ report here.

About Groundsure

Groundsure is a market leading specialist transforming environmental data into location intelligence for the land and property markets. Utilising the latest digital technologies available to enhance the property buying experience for the end user whilst helping lenders to make informed lending decisions.

From Chalk in the South East, to Fireclay in Yorkshire, mining risks vary dramatically across the UK. 

Here are some regional facts and figures to help you better understand the ground beneath your client’s doorstep, as well as your own.

East Midlands

Regional Case Study : 

Mine shaft collapse in Castleton : Derbyshire

Watch our Mining Risks : Are you prepared? webinar to find out more.

East of England 

*This is the highest number of sinkhole appearances in the last 24 months across England and Wales. 

Regional case study : 

Hole in Eden Street : Cambridgeshire

Watch our Mining Risks : Are you prepared? webinar to find out more.

North East

Regional case study : 

Gateshead School Mine Shaft : Tyne and Wear

Watch our Mining Risks : Are you prepared? webinar to find out more.

North West

Regional case study : 

Sinkhole in residential Manchester Street : Greater Manchester

Watch our Mining Risks : Are you prepared? webinar to find out more.

South East

Regional case study :

Car swallowed in High Wycombe : Buckinghamshire

Watch our Mining Risks : Are you prepared? webinar to find out more.

South West

Regional case study :

Sinkhole opens in Well road : Somerset

Watch our Mining Risks : Are you prepared? webinar to find out more.

Wales 

Regional case study : 

Man falls down sinkhole : Bridgend

Watch our Mining Risks : Are you prepared? webinar to find out more.

West Midlands

Regional case study :

Huge sinkhole opens up in front of B&B : Staffordshire

Watch our Mining Risks : Are you prepared? webinar to find out more.

Yorkshire & Humber

*This is the highest number of Recorded Coal Mine Entries (Coal Authority) in England and Wales. 

Regional case study : 

Garden mineshaft size of Nelson's Column : West Yorkshire

Watch our Mining Risks : Are you prepared? webinar to find out more.

Our "Mining Risks : Are you prepared?" webinar - featuring Tom Backhouse from Terrafirma, alongside Clare Yates from tmgroup - discusses how new data sets are challenging traditional assumptions about mining risks.

Imagine being told that you only have 15 minutes to pack a bag and leave your family home. That’s the reality residents of Ripon, North Yorkshire, faced back in 2016 when a sinkhole opened up and swallowed their garages, outhouses and even their garden plants. All in all, 10 houses were evacuated and it took 46 months to rebuild their gardens – and their lives. 

That was just one of the many cases explored in the new 3-part TV documentary series “Sinkholes”, which aired this week on Channel 5, revealing the true extent of sinkhole devastation. Additional cases included yet another sinkhole (35ft deep!) in Ripon that had split a house in two, as well as a housing estate in Hemel Hempstead that had been evacuated when a sinkhole not only damaged houses and roads, but damaged pipes and threated a gas leak explosion! 

While these incidents are barely comprehendible, they are superseded by the devastation routinely experienced in Florida, where sinkholes have been known to swallow entire houses in less than 30 minutes – and even cost lives. 

The ground is simply dissolving beneath these homes 

So what is causing all of these problems? Although thousands of miles apart, Florida and Ripon have one thing in common : The ground beneath their homes is made of a substance that dissolves in acid rain. For Florida, this is Limestone. For Ripon, Gypsum. 

Over time, water trickles underground, dissolving the rock and creating caverns. When the weight above them gets too much, the ground collapses into the void creating holes on the surface that take anything and everything down with them. 

The fear of the unknown is what’s really keeping people awake at night

While these cases certainly make for scary reading, the fear of the unknown is even harder to live with – especially for residents of Ripon and Florida who know it is a question of ‘where’ and not ‘if’ another sinkhole will open up in their neighbourhood. 

Fortunately, The British Geological Survey are working extensively in areas such as Ripon to map a true picture of the land beneath the ground. Similar bodies in America are making good use of technology and data too, to help ensure that new houses won’t be built in areas of high risk.  

Terrafirma have also released new interactive mapping tools to make it easier for the general public and their conveyancers to see the full extent of the risks beneath their door steps – simply by adding in their postcode. 

You can try it here: 

Find out more about sinkholes 

To try Terrafirma’s full range of interactive tools and find out what’s going on beneath your doorstep, please visit : https://www.terrafirmasearch.co.uk/understand-the-ground/ 

You can also tune into the rest of the Channel 5 “Sinkholes” series on Mondays at 8pm : http://www.radiotimes.com/tv-programme/e/fzn9yf/sinkholes-buried-underground--s1-e1-sinkholes-buried-underground/  

This week’s episode of Rip Off Britain revealed that some lenders are now refusing to secure mortgages against properties in close proximity to mineshafts - creating new challenges for conveyancers and trapping homeowners in houses they’d previously had no problems buying.

The Rip Off Britain episode first aired on BBC1 on 17th October 2017 and followed the case of Sharon who had been struggling to sell her home for 3 years. Buyer after buyer pulling out at the last minute had been a mystery, until one revealed that banks were refusing to lend against the property after local searches highlighted a mineshaft underneath the neighbouring house. 

Even though the mineshaft had caused no damage to her house, Sharon was given no choice but to put her house up for auction with a reserve price that was £61,000 under market value. Even then, the property remained unsold. 

You can watch a replay of Rip Off Britain here

Over 130,000 properties in the UK are within 20 metres of a mineshaft

Unfortunately, this is just the tip of the iceberg. Many more sellers and their conveyancers could find themselves in a similar situation, as Tom Backhouse CEO and Founder of Terrafirma explained: 

“There are over 130,000 properties in the UK within 20 metres of a mine shaft, so historically the banks acted on a yes/ no response against “is there data or not?”. That doesn’t work anymore.

A lot of the time these mineshafts aren’t actually there. When something is flagged on a report, it is just data (that in some cases can be 150 years old). The report doesn’t look into whether the mine entry is gone or not. 

In Sharon’s case, a specialist excavation report could be ordered to drill into the ground to reassure lenders, but this could cost up to £5,000 – and reveal the mineshaft does exist. 

Overall, banks need to take a more nuanced approach and act on risk assessment. We have the technology. We can proactively go out and find mineshafts and take action to ensure they are not going to cause any problems in the future.”

Homebuyers need to ensure their conveyancers are carrying out relevant searches

Homebuyers need to ensure their conveyancers are carrying out relevant searches to ensure they are aware of any risks relating to a property, as UK Finance commented:

“While most old mine shafts don’t cause a problem for properties nearby, anyone considering buying close to one should ensure that the relevant searches are done and that there’s been a proper assessment of the risk.” 

TerraSearch® analyses coal mining risks alongside an additional 55 mining hazards to reveal a fuller picture of ground stability in our towns and cities

Drawing on Terrafirma’s specialist knowledge in the innovation and provision of mining-instability risk assessment, the TerraSearch® product suite analyses coal mining risks alongside an additional 55 mining hazards to reveal a fuller picture of ground stability in our towns and cities.

The following TerraSearch® products are now available on tmconvey to order against residential and commercial properties :

• TerraSearch® Coal Extra is a regulated ‘Con29M-Compliant’ coal mining search offering an equivalent to the Coal Authority report, including a professional opinion of all coal mining risks and CON29M questions and additionally alerting to 55 further mining hazards. 

• TerraSearch® Assess is a single search that comprehensively assesses the risk to a site (property and land) from all 60 mining hazards, including past, present and planned extraction.

Both TerraSearch® Coal Extra and TerraSearch® Assess include additional professional interpretations, as well as a TerraSearch® Coal & Brine Report Indemnity Policy up to £50,000 loss in market value of the property (in the event that a conclusion changes based on the addition of new data), and £10 million liability per report in the event of wrong or missing information.  

TerraSearch® Coal Extra and TerraSearch® Assess are also supported by a TerraSearch® Alert, which is now available on tmconvey.

For more information, book your place at one of our Risky Business Roadshows this November to discuss your challenges with Tom Backhouse in person.

You can also watch a replay of Rip Off Britain here, or read this blog post on Are sinkholes in the headlines finally revealing the truth about mining risks?.

Image credit : BBC1's Rip Off Britain

Homes being swallowed up by sinkholes is something most people would expect to see in a horror film, yet similar stories are making the headlines with alarming regularity and the problem is only getting worse. 

Sinkholes are opening up everywhere from Cheltenham to Liverpool and even London, bringing into question much of what conveyancers (and the general public) thought they knew about mining and the risks it poses to ground stability in the UK.

Are you making dangerous assumptions about local mining risks?

South Wales, Cornwall and the North East are well-known locations for historical mining activity, prompting local conveyancers to stay aware of the connected risks. Yet those working in central and eastern England and London are less concerned – and even assume there aren’t any risks that will affect their clients’ properties which couldn’t be further from the truth. 

Mining activity has taken place across the UK for 100’s of years with the availability of minerals shaping the growth of towns and cities the length and breadth of the country, as well as shaping their unique character (which is why the likes of Bath and Worcester look so different). The reality is that historical mining could affect almost any location in the UK so professional due diligence is essential when purchasing a property.

Forgotten shafts

Unlike the high-profile strikes surrounding the closure of the coal mines in the 1980’s, many other local mines across the country closed quietly during the turn of the 20th Century with the last large-scale mines closing in the 1960’s. With no legislation in existence or money to fill them in, 98% of these mines were abandoned and forgotten.

At the time, local communities remembered where the mineshafts had been located and therefore the land was used as open areas for parks rather than homes. As time has worn on much of this information has been lost and the open spaces unknowingly bought up and built upon by developers after which ground stability problems have emerged. Lack of data and expert professional interpretation, as well as NHBC regulations (which only require due diligence of the top 2m of the ground) have contributed to this risky oversight resulting in costly repair bills for developers and in extreme cases entire developments have been demolished such as the Bayfield, West Allotment Site in Tyneside. 

Cases in point

Recent sinkholes in Reading, St. Albans and Kent serve as a stark reminder as to the risk historical mining activity can have on ground stability. 

Houses, shops and schools that have, in most cases, unwittingly been built above these old mine shafts are suffering from a number of issues, such as subsidence and the appearance of collapses and mining sinkholes. 

Here are just some of the examples that have made the headlines in recent years: 

30 homes were evacuated in Reading when an old chalk mine collapsed 

In January 2000, a 19th Century chalk mine collapsed causing major subsidence of the overlying ground around the Field Road and Coley Road area in Reading.

30 homes were evacuated for residents’ safety and a further 2 homes later collapsed. It took 12 years to fill the underground chalk mines with 1,742 tonnes of grouting, costing approximately £4.3 million.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-berkshire-13630363

A giant mining sinkhole in St. Albans cut off utilities to over 50 properties

On 1st October, 2015, a giant sinkhole opened up in Fontmell Close, St Albans. It was 66ft wide and 30ft deep, cutting off utilities to over 50 properties and forcing families to evacuate their homes. 

The hole was created by heavy rainfall causing a previously unknown chalk mine to collapse. The void required 48 lorry-loads of foamed concrete to fill.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-beds-bucks-herts-38156508

Several shops were forced to close when a mining sinkhole appeared in Kent

In early 2015 at Lawrence Square, Northfleet, Gravesend, Kent, the appearance of a sinkhole forced several shops to close and 7 sets of council tenants to be evacuated for fears of more subsidence.

Continued subsidence forced the gas supply to be shut off and the area was declared unsuitable for permanent habitation. The area was heavily mined for chalk and clay during the 19th Century with many chalk mines and mining-related sinkholes already known in the immediate area around Lawrence Square. 

http://www.kentonline.co.uk/gravesend/news/tenants-rehomed-due-to-dangerous-32861/ 

Terrafirma are helping conveyancers and homeowners understand the full extent of mining risks 

Using their specialist knowledge, Terrafirma analyse coal mining risks alongside an additional 55 mining hazards to reveal a fuller picture of ground stability in our towns and cities.

To find out more about how Terrafirma can uncover the truth about mining in your local area, you can also read this blog post. 

‘All in one’ environmental reports are making it quicker and easier for conveyancers to report next steps back to their clients – without compromising on quality. 

By combining several key data sources and presenting necessary actions clearly, ‘all in one’ environmental reports such as Groundsure Avista and Landmark RiskView Residential are making time-consuming interpretation a thing of the past.

This is mostly due to the sheer breadth of information included, which enables conveyancers to order just one environmental report whilst still performing due diligence for their clients.

For example, Avista combines 7 key environmental risks including includes Flood risk, Planning applications, Contaminated Land, Ground stability, Radon, Transportation, and Energy. 

Similarly, RiskView Residential presents 6 environmental risks as previously provided in 4 separate reports: Flood Risk, Contaminated Land, Ground Hazards, and Energy & Infrastructure – with ‘Plansearch Plus’ available as an ‘add on’ at the time of ordering.

A clear snapshot view helps conveyancers prioritise their work

A further benefit of these ‘all in one’ environmental reports is that all of this information is presented with a snapshot summary of actions, which makes it easier for conveyancers to know what to do next.

For example, Avista Action Alert presents conveyancers with a clear 1-5 rating. This acts as a useful visual image providing immediate understanding of the outcomes of the report.

This also helps conveyancers to prioritise their work, as they frequently receive several reports on the same day, which can make it challenging to decide which one to read first. 

The clear risk rating enables conveyancers to prioritise their work at a quick glance and feel confident that all of their property transactions are progressing.

Simple summary pages make it easier for conveyancers to feedback to clients 

The clear presentation of each summary page also makes it far easier for conveyancers to digest next steps and pass key findings onto their clients.

RiskView Residential further supports this by providing an online viewer for conveyancers to share with their clients.

These features help to remove some of the delays typically associated with interpreting lengthy reports, and further streamlines the conveyancing process. 

A wealth of data available at a reasonable price

Despite the wealth of benefits available in these ‘all in one’ reports, the ordering costs are surprisingly reasonable; Groundsure Avista comes in at an RRP of just £79+VAT, and Landmark RVR has an RRP of £83.00+VAT. 

Compared to the price of ordering all of this information in multiple reports, and the time spent reading through them all, these latest offerings provide significant time and cost savings for the conveyancing sector. The shorter length of the reports also mean that it is quicker and cheaper to print when needed.

Simon Wood, Sales Director at tmgroup, comments: 

“The availability of these ‘all in one’ environmental reports have marked an innovative step forward for conveyancing efficiency, making it quicker and easier for conveyancers to review key findings quickly” without compromising on quality.”

“It is clear that conveyancers’ needs are at the heart of these latest reports too, with features such as the clear 1-5 rating responding specifically to the on-going challenges faced by conveyancers in prioritising their clients competing interests.” 

Try an ‘all in one’ environmental report today 

Groundsure Avista and Landmark RiskView Residential are available to order now through the new tmconvey platform. 

Visit www.tmgroup.co.uk for more information.

Simon Wood

Simon is Sales Director for tmconvey. He leads teams in helping customers grow their business, drive internal efficiencies and manage risk around property searches.

 

tmgroup are pleased to announce that the new Groundsure Avista environmental report is now available on tmconvey. 

This concise report intelligently filters datasets to produce a clear and comprehensive risk report for the residential market. Avista also offers a new level of clarity by only presenting conveyancers with the key issues requiring further attention.

This helps conveyancers to save time, as they don’t have to sift through a lengthy report in order to determine next steps and key findings; recommended actions are clearly visible, ready for a discussion with their clients. 

Each report also includes an easy to read summary page for peace of mind, confirming the full list of data points checked against the property. 

Key features include:

• Seven reports in one: Avista combines seven environmental searches covering the key residential property purchases risks, including 10 years of planning applications. This helps to minimise the risk of missed issues, as well as reduce delays caused by ordering further reports.

• Improved accuracy and pass rates: Avista reports are based on Land Registry polygon data as standard for the highest level of accuracy, with 106 million data points being analysed to significantly improve pass rates. 

• Clear and concise recommendations: Clearly signposted data with unambiguous recommendations leaves customers better informed, without being overwhelmed by confusing jargon. 

• The average report is less than 20 pages long: The average Avista report is less than 20 pages long, making it simple for conveyancers to hone in on what’s important. 

• Review next steps with a quick glance: The Avista Action Alert saves transaction time and trouble by providing a simple visual guide to the complexity of the environmental factors associated with a property. 

About Groundsure Avista

Groundsure is a leading provider of environmental reports including land contamination, flooding and ground stability. Avista is their latest product, offering a comprehensive risk report with seven key environmental searches.

The new Groundsure Avista environmental report is now available to order through tmconvey.

You can watch a webinar and find out more about the new Avista report here.

You can view a 'pass' sample report here, and a 'fail' sample report here. 

For more information, contact your Account Manager, or call Helpdesk on 0844 249 9200 or email helpdesk@tmgroup.co.uk.

tmgroup are pleased to announce that the new Groundsure Avista environmental report will be available on tmconvey from Tuesday 6th June 2017. 

This concise report will intelligently filter datasets to produce a clear and comprehensive risk report for the residential market. 

Each report will include an easy to read summary page for peace of mind, confirming the full list of data points checked against the property. Avista also offers a new level of clarity by only presenting conveyancers with the key issues requiring further attention.

This will help conveyancers to save time, as they will not have to sift through a lengthy report in order to determine next steps and key findings; recommended actions will be clearly visible, ready for a discussion with their clients. 

Key features include:

• Seven reports in one: Avista combines seven environmental searches covering the key residential property purchases risks, including 10 years of planning applications. This will help to minimise the risk of missed issues, as well as reduce delays caused by ordering further reports.

• Improved accuracy and pass rates: Avista reports are based on Land Registry polygon data as standard for the highest level of accuracy, with 106 million data points being analysed to significantly improve pass rates. 

• Clear and concise recommendations: Clearly signposted data with unambiguous recommendations will leave customers better informed, without being overwhelmed by confusing jargon. 

• The average report is less than 20 pages long: The average Avista report is less than 20 pages long, which will make it simple for conveyancers to hone in on what’s important. 

• Review next steps with a quick glance: The Avista Action Alert saves transaction time and trouble by providing a simple visual guide to the complexity of the environmental factors associated with a property.

About Groundsure Avista

Groundsure is a leading provider of environmental reports including land contamination, flooding and ground stability. Avista is their latest product, offering a comprehensive risk report with seven key environmental searches.

The new Groundsure Avista environmental report will be available to order from tmconvey on Tuesday 6th June 2017. 

You can view a 'pass' sample report here, and a 'fail' sample report here. 

For more information, contact your Account Manager, or call Helpdesk on 0844 249 9200 or email helpdesk@tmgroup.co.uk.

PlanVal have released two new mining products, which are now available to order on tmconvey:

    > PlanVal Coal Mining Search with Professional Opinion

    > PlanVal Non-Coal Mining Search with Professional Opinion

These products are being added to the range of mining products on tmconvey in replacement of PlanVal’s current range of mining products, and are both accepted by Banks and Building Societies.

These checks are also part of PlanVal's branded products, combining data with a professional recommendation from Mining Searches UK, backed by Professional Indemnity Insurance cover.

PlanVal Coal Mining Search with Professional Opinion

The standardised format of the search puts a colour coded ‘Passed’ or ‘Further Action Required’ result on the front cover.  There follows a Professional Opinion based on definitive Official data provided by The Coal Authority, facilitating decision making.

This Coal Mining Search also utilises enhanced datasets from Third Party sources in order to provide an assessment of risk of mine related settlement or subsidence.  The report considers information in order to answer questions as set out in CON29M. Each search includes a professional interpretation covered by £10m of professional indemnity insurance. 

The search returns a rating of: "Passed" or "Further Action", together with opinion details and where necessary, further action required.  Input mapping is supplemented by an Ordnance Survey MasterMap ‘Location Plan’ and a large scale ‘Mining Activity Plan’ for clarity and accuracy. 

PlanVal Non-Coal Mining Search with Professional Opinion.

The standardised format of the search puts a colour coded ‘Passed’ or ‘Further Action Required’ result on the front cover.  There follows a Professional Opinion based on data on 60+ different mineral types (excluding Coal), facilitating decision making.

This Non-Coal Mining Search utilises datasets from both Official and Third Party sources in order to provide an assessment of risk of mine related settlement or subsidence.  Where a property lies within a risk area for either Cheshire Brine or British Gypsum, the appropriate official search is purchased. The PlanVal report considers this combined information to produce a clear opinion. Each search includes a professional interpretation covered by £10m of professional indemnity insurance. 

The search returns a rating of: "Passed" or "Further Action", together with opinion details and where necessary, further action required.  Input mapping is supplemented by an Ordnance Survey MasterMap ‘Location Plan’ and a large scale ‘Mining Activity Plan’ for enhanced clarity and accuracy. 

Note - The standard disbursement is added in the small % of cases where a Cheshire Brine or British Gypsum report is included.

When the charge for single-use plastic carrier bags was introduced in England on 5th October 2015, Tesco reported a 78% drop in number of single-use carrier bags taken from its stores in England in the first month.

According to a panel of environmental experts, if the government are to meet their targets for Sustainable Planning and Development, a similar initiative could be the key to addressing some of the barriers.

This suggestion was put forward at a Sustainable Planning and Development roundtable event we hosted; featuring a range of guest speakers including:
• Stephen Sykes, UKELA Chairman & Sykes Environmental LLP
• Jon Lovell, Founding Director of Hillbreak
• Chris Taylor, Product Development Director at GeoSmart

It is hard to penalise a developer if an issue arises after they’ve finished a site

As it currently stands, issuing penalties for failings around Sustainable Planning and Development is a challenge, especially as once a developer has built something, they leave the site and it is hard to put them “on the hook”.

Further issues include over-complicated laws and regulations, which make it challenging for even large businesses with extensive legal resources to make sense of and adhere to, as well as difficulty in receiving planning permission.

Passing the cost onto the consumer could be key in driving real change

Given the additional cost of implementing some of these initiatives, and with minimal risk of incurring a fine, it is no surprise that many developers are choosing to overlook Sustainable Planning and Development methods. 

One possible solution however is to pass the cost onto the consumer, in a similar way to charging for single-use plastic carrier bags. Internalising the cost of the impact like this could help to bring the issue into the demand phase of house building – as oppose to outsourcing the negative impact onto others.

In essence, if consumers are faced with higher living costs for living on non-sustainable developments, then demand for sustainable buildings could go up; and investors would be far more likely to adhere to regulations.

Coupled with tax breaks for developers for using environmentally friendly technologies, this could result in a win-win situation and mark a positive step forward for Sustainable Development.

A number of sustainable solutions are already available

There is no doubt that enforcing Sustainable Planning and Development is a complicated issue to address, but steps must be taken if we are to reduce the impact of flooding and land contamination, as well as ensure that our planet’s resources are available for future generations.

The good news is that conversations about various initiatives are already taking place, and a number of solutions are on the market to help support Sustainable Planning and Development.

Sustainable Drainage Systems (SuDS) for example, replicate the natural drainage from the site before development and reduce run-off and flood risk through detention basins, permeable pavement, and water butts.

Since April 2015, SuDS have been a requirement for major developments in all cases unless demonstrated to be ‘inappropriate’; meaning that a high level SuDS feasibility report is necessary for property professionals at the initial master planning stage to identify drainage options and risks.

Such reports are now available for conveyancing solicitors to order. For example, GeoSmart’s SuDS feasibility report, is currently available as a first-to-market product for users of tmconvey.