200 Lichfield Lane

Mansfield
Nottinghamshire
NG18 4RG
T: 01623 637225
E: recordsmanagement@coal.gov.uk
www.gov.uk/coalauthority

Mr J Austin

27 September 2017
Reference: FOI 42-2017

Dear Mr Austin

Request under the Freedom of Information Act 2000

I write in connection with your request for information, which was received by the Coal Authority
on 14 September 2017 and became a valid request on 18 September 2017.
Following receipt of your request, searches were conducted within the Coal Authority to locate the
information you require.

RESPONSE
Under S 1 (1) (a) of the Freedom of Information Act 2000 (FOIA), I can confirm that the Coal
Authority can provide a response.

I'm enquiring about planning application:

A/17/84450 (Land To East Of Wigan Road/South Of Landgate Lane Bryn Wigan)
ref.

https://apps.wigan.gov.uk/planapps/PlanAppsDetails.asp?passAppNo=A/17/84450/MAJOR

... submitted recently to Wigan Metropolitan Borough Council .

The application site lies in the South Lancashie coalfield and concerns the building of a large
number of houses on an area once surrounded by collieries, and hence 'under-mined' to a
large extent

Could you :-

a) please confirm if you have already or will be objecting to this application and if so for
what reason(s) and please forward me a copy of your objection

No information held, the Coal Authority have not been approached by the Local Authority in
relation to this planning application. The application site is located in the development low risk area
and falls outside the development high risk area. As such, under the agreed risk based approach to
development management, there is no requirement for the Local Planning Authority to consult the
Coal Authority regarding the application. However, should planning permission be granted for the
proposal, the local planning authority should include our standing advice as an informative note on
the decision notice.

You may also find useful the links to the Coal Authority interactive viewer, the coalfield local
planning authority plans for the Wigan area and guidance for developers.

http://mapapps2.bgs.ac.uk/coalauthority/home.html

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/coalfield-plans-wigan-area

https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/588157/Resources
_for_Developers_Risk-Based_Approach_to_Development_Management_Version_4.pdf

b) please confirm if you have already had contact with either WMBC and/or the applicant
Bellway Homes, and if so what those correspondences consisted of and if so forward me a
copy of those correspondences

No information held, please see response to question a.

c) please clarify for me the situation regarding low-lying coal reserves on or close by this site
and Coal Authority's position, specifically to this site, concerning your potential demands for
extraction of such reserves should the application be granted permission and should
subsequently during excavation work coal is uncovered, which to my understanding is highly
likely ?

No information held, the Freedom of Information Act only covers recorded information, the Coal
Authority has at this time no position on this specific site, please see the response to question a.

d) clarify what the coal authority would expect in terms of prior drilling/bore holes etc ...
prior to the commencement of any development should it be authorised in order to assess in
advance any potential for subsidence, etc ....

No information held the Freedom of Information Act only covers recorded information.

Should you have any further enquiries concerning this matter, please contact our Records
Management team on telephone number 01623 637225 or
email: recordsmanagement@coal.gov.uk

Yours sincerely

Coryn Reynolds
Records Officer