Residential Redevelopment of a Industrial Site, Dobcross, Oldham

PROJECT OVERVIEW

Coal mining risk assessment in Dobcross

At a former industrial site in Dobcross, Oldham, the assessment identified potential shallow mining and the outcropping Sand Rock Seam. Demeter proposed a phased investigation including three open rotary boreholes to 30 metres. The record confirms acceptance of the proposals and application validation; it does not describe completed drilling.

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Due to the proposed development being in a ‘Development High Risk Area’ as defined by the Coal Authority, the ‘Development High Risk Area’ is defined as:

‘The Development High Risk Area is the part of the coal mining reporting area which contains one or more recorded coal mining related features which have the potential for instability or a degree of risk to the surface from the legacy of coal mining operations. The combination of features included in this composite area includes mine entries; shallow coal workings (recorded and probable); recorded coal mining related hazards; recorded mine gas sites; fissures and breaklines and previous surface mining sites.’

Demeter Environmental were commissioned to prepare are Coal Mining Risk Assessment, the ‘Site Specific Risk Map’ for Oldham, the interactive map viewer and Coal Authority report identified probable shallow as a potential issue.

The review of the large scale geological maps identified a coal seam (Sand Rock Seam) outcropping on the western area of the site and dipping to the west away from the site.

In order to determine the risks posed by the Sand Rock Seam a phased intrusive investigation was proposed comprising of three open rotary borehole to 30mbgl on the western area of the site.

The proposals were accepted by the local authority / Coal Authority and the application was validated.

This case study records the project circumstances and conclusions at the time of the work. Planning links may refer to historical council systems.