Historically, the Brine Board has provided the Cheshire Brine Search to meet the requirements of professionals involved in property transactions and development within the Compensation District. These searches include details of past damage claims affecting properties (including land) and identification as to whether the property lies within a statutory consultation area with regard to foundation designs. A more significant aspect of the past claims is to report on whether the property has been subjected to a “commutation payment” whereby payments were made in lieu of carrying out repairs and rights of redress for future damage were often extinguished.
Since 23 October 2006 the Cheshire Brine Search has been incorporated into the Law Society approved Con29M mining search (combined coal and brine search report) provided by The Coal Authority. The Coal Authority has effectively held this data under licence which, subject to the following, will conclude as and from 31 May 2018.
From the 1 June 2018, The Cheshire Brine Subsidence Compensation Board will be updating the content of the ‘Cheshire Brine Search’ to include additional detail. Due to this new content, the search will be renamed as the ‘Cheshire Salt Search’. The Cheshire Salt Search will indicate:
- Whether the property is situated within the Compensation District;
- Whether the property is within a Consultation Area prescribed by the Cheshire Brine Board under the provisions of section 38(1) of the 1952 Act;
- Whether a Notice of Damage has been filed in respect of the property and, if so, whether the claim was accepted and, if so, how the claim was discharged;
- Whether the claims in respect of the property have been commuted by a once and for all payment of compensation;
- Whether the compensation provisions of the 1952 and 1964 Acts would apply should the property be affected at some future date by subsidence due to brine pumping;
- Whether there is a known historical brine well or shaft within 20m;
- Whether recorded subsidence features are within 50m of the property;
- Whether the property is within 200m of a planning consent of a brine extraction by controlled pumping;
- Whether there any current or proposed uncontrolled brine pumping within 3kms of the property;
- Whether a property is in an area underlain by a historical salt mine;
- Whether the property is within an area designated to be within the GS7 Planning Policy Boundary;
- Whether there is planning consent for rock salt extraction by underground mining within 120m of the property.
The Cheshire Salt Search will be available from its sole supplier, ‘Groundsure’.
A search may be ordered from here .