Coal mining on the Wirral: what the CON29M actually tells you

Yes, there was mining on the Wirral

The peninsula is not what most people picture when they think of a coalfield, but coal was worked here, and parts of the Wirral fall within a coal mining referral area. So do substantial parts of St Helens, Knowsley, eastern Liverpool, Wrexham and Flintshire.

Where an address falls within a referral area, the Law Society’s guidance is that a mining search should be carried out. Not doing so is a difficult position to defend later.

What the CON29M covers

• Past, present and proposed underground coal working
• Mine entries — shafts and adits — within 20 metres of the boundary
• Coal seams at shallow depth
• Subsidence damage claims and notices
• Withdrawal of support and opencast notices
• Mine gas and surface hazards
• Coal Authority planning consultation zones

What it does not cover

Only coal. Salt, limestone, clay, tin, chalk and metalliferous mining are outside its scope entirely. In Cheshire that matters a great deal — brine subsidence around Northwich, Winsford and Middlewich is a separate issue with its own compensation district and its own search.

Natural ground hazards — shrink-swell clay, dissolution features, running sand, made ground — are also outside it. Those need a ground stability report.

A mine entry has shown up. Now what?

Do not panic and do not assume the worst. A recorded mine entry near a property is common in coalfield areas, and a great many have been treated and are of no practical consequence.

The usual next step is a Coal Authority interpretive report or a specialist assessment that puts the entry in context — its depth, its treatment history, and its relationship to the building. Lenders will generally want that before proceeding where an entry is close.

Published 17 June 2026. This article is general information about conveyancing practice and property regulation. It is not legal advice, and the regulatory position changes — check the current position before relying on it.