Insight User Guide: Mining and ground workings

BritPits

BritPits (an abbreviation of British Pits) is a database maintained by the British Geological Survey of currently active and closed surface and underground mineral workings. Details of major mineral handling sites, such as wharfs and rail depots are also held in the database.

Surface ground workings

Historical land uses identified from Ordnance Survey mapping that involved ground excavation at the surface. These features may or may not have been subsequently backfilled. This data has been extracted from Groundsure’s 1:10,000 and 1:10,560 scale Historical Land Use Database dating back to the 1840s and includes features such as engine pits, heaps, and tips.

Underground workings

Historical land uses identified from Ordnance Survey mapping that indicate the presence of underground workings. This data has been extracted from Groundsure’s 1:10,000 and 1:10,560 scale Historical Land Use Database dating back to the 1840s and includes features such as tunnels, drifts, shafts, veins and wells

Underground mining extents

This data identifies underground mine workings that could present a potential risk, including adits and seam workings. These features have been identified from BGS Geological mapping and mine plans sourced from the BGS and various collections and sources.

Historical Mineral Planning Areas

Boundaries of mineral planning permissions for England and Wales. This data was collated between the 1940s (and retrospectively to the 1930s) and the mid 1980s. The dataset holds information relating to:

1. Planning permissions granted for mineral extraction and associated facilities
2. Historic land use associated with permitted, withdrawn and refused mineral planning permission sites.

The dataset has been derived from approximately 1,400 1:25,000 scale paper maps and associated card index that was originally compiled by the Minerals Division of the Ministry of Housing and Local Government (MHLG).

As the data pertains to planning permissions from 1930 to the mid-1980s it only represents a historic ‘snapshot’ in time. It does not show subsequent applications, resubmissions or later reworking e.g. opencast reworking of waste tips. Details of these are held by Local Authority Mineral Planning Departments.

Non-coal mining

The potential for historical non-coal mining to have affected an area. The assessment is drawn from expert knowledge and literature in addition to the Digital Geological Map of Britain. Mineral commodities may be divided into seven general categories - vein minerals, chalk, oil shale, building stone, bedded ores, evaporites and ‘other’ commodities (including ball clay, jet, black marble, graphite and chert).

This data is categorised on a 5 tier scale:

Category	Description
A - sporadic underground mining of restricted extent	Potential for difficult ground conditions are unlikely and localised and are at a level where they need not be considered. Presence of past underground mining is not known to have occurred. Areas are categorized on the basis that the rock types present are known to have been worked in other areas. Areas therefore have the potential for underground mining but there is little or no evidence of mining activity.
B - localised small scale underground mining may have occurred	Potential for difficult ground conditions are unlikely or localised and are at a level where they need not be considered. Presence of past underground mine workings may occur but workings of small limited extent. Rock types present could support small scale underground mining. All such occurrences are likely to be of minor localised extent and infrequent.
C - small scale underground mining may have occurred; mine adits, shafts and tunnels may be present	Potential for localised difficult ground conditions are at a level where they should be considered. Presence of past underground mine workings may be present. Underground mining is likely to have been of limited extent.
D - underground mining is known or considered likely to have occurred within or close to the area	Potential for difficult ground conditions are at a level where they should be considered. Presence of past underground mine workings are probable. These are areas known or suspected to contain underground mining for minerals and/or other materials.
E - underground mining is known to have occurred within or very close to the area	Potential for difficult ground conditions should be investigated. Potential for localised subsidence is at a level where it should be considered. Presence of past underground mine workings are known or suspected to contain underground workings for minerals and/or other materials, extent of workings are likely to be extensive. No consideration has been given to the effects of remediation and it may be necessary to check if any remediation has been carried out.

It should be noted, that there is always the possibility of the existence of other sub-surface excavations, such as wells, cess pits, follies, air raid shelters/bunkers and other military structures etc. that could affect surface ground stability but which are outside the scope of this dataset.

JPB mining areas

Areas which could be affected by former coal mining. This data includes some mine plans unavailable to the Coal Authority.

The Coal Authority non-coal mining

This data provides an indication of the potential zone of influence of recorded underground non-coal mining workings. Any and all analysis and interpretation of Coal Authority Data in this report is made by Groundsure, and is in no way supported, endorsed or authorised by the Coal Authority. The use of the data is restricted to the terms and provisions contained in this report. Data reproduced in this report may be the copyright of the Coal Authority and permission should be sought from Groundsure prior to any re-use.

Researched mining

This data indicates areas of potential mining identified from alternative or archival sources, including; BGS Geological paper maps, Lidar data, aerial photographs (from World War II onwards), archaeological data services, websites, Tithe maps, and various text/plans from collected books and reports. Some of this data is approximate and Groundsure have interpreted the resultant risk area and, where possible, specific areas of risk have been captured.

Mining Record Office Plans

This dataset is representative of Mining Record Office and/or plan extents held by Groundsure and should be considered approximate. Where possible, plans have been located and any specific areas of risk they depict have been captured.

BGS Mine Plans

This dataset is representative of BGS mine plans held by Groundsure and should be considered approximate. Where possible, plans have been located and any specific areas of risk they depict have been captured.

Coal mining

Areas, defined by the Coal Authority, which could be affected by past, current or future coal mining. A site could fall within the ‘Coal Reporting Area’ but not be directly affected by coal mining.

Brine areas

The Cheshire Brine Compensation District indicates areas that may be affected by salt and brine extraction in Cheshire and where compensation would be available where damage from this mining has occurred. Damage from salt and brine mining can still occur outside this district, but no compensation will be available. Further information on brine extraction within the Brine Compensation District can be obtained with a further report from Groundsure.

Gypsum areas

Generalised areas that may be affected by gypsum extraction.

Tin mining

Generalised areas where past tin mining has occurred. Areas identified within this database may indicate tin mining in proximity but do not definitively identify that tin mining took place beneath the property. Further more detailed records on tin mining can be obtained from Mining Searches UK/Groundsure on request.

Clay mining

Generalised areas that may be affected by kaolin and ball clay extraction.