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.

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.