The Land Stabilisation Programme
An underground survey of the Firs and Byfield mine areas was
carried out in 1994, commissioned by the then Bath City Council. It
was found that approximately 80% of the mines have less than 6m
cover and as little as 2m in some places. Irregular mining and
robbing stone from supporting pillars has left the mines
unstable.
In March 1999, the then DETR (Department of Environment,
Transport and Regions), now known as Communities and Local
Government, announced a Land Stabilisation Programme, based on the
Derelict Land Act 1982. This programme was designed to “deal with
abandoned non-coal mine workings which are likely to collapse and
threaten life and property”.
A Bath & North East Somerset Council outline bid for a
two-phase stabilisation project was accepted in August 1999 by
English Partnerships.
The Project
The objective of the Project is to stabilise the mines to
protect life and property in line with English Partnerships
guidance for the Land Stabilisation Programme (LSP).
There are a number of aims that are also critical to the
project such as:
- Safeguarding the Combe Down heritage and environment.
- Avoiding contamination of the water outflows from the Combe
Down area.
- Protection of the bat species in accordance to
international/EC/UK obligations.
- To mitigate the impact abd disruption caused by noise, dust,
and traffic movements in the area.
- To ensure, as far as practicable, any work sites associated
with the scheme are of low visual impact.
- Design solutions will achieve successful stabilisation for at
least the next 100 years.
- Seeking to mitigate any damage to the existing properties in
the area due to the consequences of the project works.
Main Contractor: Hydrock
Engineering Design and Supervision: Scott Wilson
Mining
Project Management Support: Davis
Langdon and Provelio
Archaeology: Oxford Archaeology
Bat Consultants: Batpro
Property Surveys: White Young Green
