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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.

Vanessa Moscardo-Parker, Account Director at Landmark Information Group, talks us through RiskView Residential – a brand new all-in-one report for conveyancers available through tmgroup.

tm: RiskView Residential - what is it and who is it for?
V M-P: “RiskView Residential (RVR) is an all-in-one environmental report for residential property transactions that incorporates four Landmark reports into one. Now available through tmgroup, the report is supported by an online viewer so both conveyancers and consumers can log into our system to explore the results further.”

Why is it needed?
“Well, the report tells a conveyancer exactly what they need to know, presenting any risks to the property up-front and in an easy-to-read format. Also, it means you can offer a fixed fee rather than having to keep asking their clients for more money to cover extra reports. Another great aspect of the report is that the online viewer points the buyer in Landmark’s direction to help stream technical questions to the environmental experts, rather than the solicitors advising on the data.

We believe in making time for conveyancers here at tmgroup, how does this new report 'make time' for conveyancers?
“Landmark’s strapline for this report is ‘simple, helpful and accessible’ and that’s exactly what it is. In terms of making time for conveyancers, we’ve been finding that it saves around two thirds of the time it would take for you to check for environmental issues, so it lets you concentrate on other matters. The feedback during testing was that the copy and pastable text was by far the most useful part of the report as it really did save the solicitor and buyer a huge amount of time.”

How can home buyers make use of it?
“Using the online viewer, they’re able to visualise all of the data on one single map and get a better idea of how these factors could affect their purchase. They’re then able to contact the relevant expert for guidance and support to help them interpret the data correctly and answer questions themselves.”

What does the report include?
“The report reveals risks to the property associated with contaminated land and flooding, as well as energy and infrastructure and ground stability.”

What is the standard turnaround time?
“The same as a normal environmental report - turnaround will be 24-48hrs.”

Can you expedite this report?
“There’s no real need to do so as it’s back so quickly.”

What have you got planned for RiskView Residential in the future?
“We believe that the future is online for Landmark and with the majority of industries already using this format, it’s been extremely exciting developing this product. RVR will be developed as we get feedback from clients. The interactive ability of being able to visualise your property, the local area and any impact environmental risks have on your purchase will give the client a greater ability to make their own informed decision in a much better way.”

RiskView Residential
Environmental due diligence for every transaction with one simple report.
If you’d like to start saving time on your environmental property searches, RiskView Residential is now available to order through tmgroup. Contact your account manager or alternatively, call our helpdesk on 0844 249 9200 or email helpdesk@tmgroup.co.uk to get started.

About Vanessa
Vanessa Moscardo-Parker joined Landmark Information Group a number of years ago and is now Account Director.  Previously spending a number of years working with the property industry dealing with both new homes developers and housing associations across the country.  Vanessa works nationally for Landmark and is a regular provider of a range of environmental CPD courses for solicitors.

Back in July 2015, the Chancellor George Osborne announced a series of planning reforms designed to get Britain building again, to help reach the Government's target of 1 million new homes by 2020.

Expanding on this in the Autumn Statement, Osborne revealed a number of policies that were music to the ears of house builders, with shares rising in Persimmon, Taylor Wimpey and Barratt Development.

This could have widespread implications for property transactions, with the increase in the number of developments potentially affecting many homeowners.

To quote Richard Burton in the film ‘Where Eagles Dare’: “A hole, is a hole, is a hole as they say.”

But I suspect the residents of St Albans, Gosforth and Manchester may disagree with that assessment after sinkholes appeared in their neighbourhoods. Just imagine if these had occurred only a few meters away under a house rather than in the street.

With ground stability, or should that be instability, grabbing headlines in the last few months tmgroup asked solicitors, “After the recent sinkholes in St Albans and Gosforth which have been in the news have you made any provision to make ground (in)stability information available to your conveyancing customers?”

Local searches are an essential part of the conveyancing process and can reveal vital information to people looking to move house. tmgroup Managing Director Paul Albone explained to BBC Wiltshire exactly what a Local Authority search is and why they've been holding up property transactions in Wiltshire.

What is a local authority search? 

"It's generally information that's sourced from the local authority - there's more than 300 of those across England and Wales - and [the local search] provides information that's relational to your property and your local environment."

Why is it an essential part of the conveyancing process?

"When you're moving into a house, you might fall in love with it but you don't actually know what's going on around your neighbourhood; or the ownership and plans for development on that property, so it [the local search] really exposes that type of information to you [the buyer]."

What sort of problems can it flag up?

"For instance: you're moving into a new house and it's got a massive oak tree in the back garden. The first thing you're going to do is get a tree surgeon to take that [away] to give you some more light in the kitchen. One of the things that can happen is that you've got a tree preservation order on it so you won't be able to do that."

"Or you're choosing that house because there's a similar property down the road and there's a nice single-storey extension that'd be great for a kids' playroom; you could move in and find that it didn't have planning permission; building regs. haven't been signed off so you'll be liable for that cost and, at worst, be told to demolish the extension."

On average, how long can it take for a local authority search to come back with the answers that you need?

"Massive variation here, bit of a postcode lottery I'm afraid... the quickest is in less than half a day; the worst is over 60 days."

For more information on how long a local search takes, click here.

Listen to the full interview: