Mine Subsidence Districts

NSW Mine Subsidence Districts map – All Districts

Districts

The underground coal mine geospatial data on the NSW Planning Portal has been created by Subsidence Advisory, based on the confidential information held by the Resources Regulator within the NSW Department of Planning, Industry and Environment.

In no event shall Subsidence Advisory become liable to users of this geospatial data. No warranty is expressed or can be implied to any other person as to the accuracy, currency and completeness of the said data or that it is free from any error or omission. Accordingly the State of New South Wales, Subsidence Advisory and their servants and agents expressly disclaim any liability whatsoever for the consequences arising from any act done or omission made in reliance by others on the information contained within the NSW Planning Portal.

The information shown herein is a general representation of features and must not be used for the basis of any risk assessment purpose. The location of the underground coal mine workings must be independently verified by the portal user.

To ensure that appropriate documentation and data limitations are provided, this database cannot be redistributed to any other parties.

Some mine subsidence districts are declared in areas where underground coal mining may occur in the future. The underground mining areas on the NSW Planning Portal only show areas where coal extraction has already occurred.

All potential mines are considered by the NSW Department of Planning, Industry and Environment and need to go through a rigorous approval process before mining can occur.

Subsidence Advisory has created the Underground Coal Mining Area spatial layer based on the official Mine Survey Plans held by the NSW Resources Regulator within the NSW Department of Planning, Industry and Environment.

The spatial layer includes properties that are located above or in close proximity to underground coal mine workings. As some underground coal mining in NSW took place over 100 years ago, it is possible that there are discrepancies between the position of mine workings and where they are shown on the official Survey Plans. To account for slight discrepancies, the Underground Coal Mining Areas include a buffer zone around historical mine workings.

The Underground Coal Mining Areas only relate to areas where coal has been extracted and do not include other types of mining such as metalliferous or open cut coal extraction.

Just because a property is mined beneath does not mean it will be impacted by subsidence. Subsidence Advisory records indicate that in the last 10 years less than 2% of properties located in areas where underground coal mining has occurred have been impacted by subsidence.

Typically, mine subsidence occurs unnoticeably over a period of time as the ground beneath settles. Buildings damaged by subsidence generally remain safe and people can continue to occupy them until their claim is resolved and the property is repaired.

In rare situations, subsidence caused by historical mining at a shallow depth can result in a hole in the surface of the ground. Subsidence holes can be big or small but they can all be dangerous and must be treated with caution. Subsidence holes and other types of safety, security or serviceability concerns arising from subsidence should be reported immediately to Subsidence Advisory’s 24 Hour Emergency Hotline on 1800 248 083. Subsidence Advisory will coordinate a response and ensure the issue is promptly addressed.

Subsidence Advisory is making information on areas where underground coal mining has occurred publicly available to ensure property owners are informed and can recognise the signs of subsidence in the extremely unlikely case their property is impacted.

A Mine Subsidence District is a tool used by Subsidence Advisory to help protect homes and other structures from potential mine subsidence damage through regulation of development. All development within districts requires Subsidence Advisory approval.

Not all underground coal mining presents the risk of subsidence damage to development. As a result, there are some areas where mining has occurred that Subsidence Advisory does not consider necessary to proclaim within districts. These areas include those where:

• there is limited development
• the underground mining is unlikely to create subsidence risks
• the method used to extract coal means there are unlikely to be any ongoing subsidence risks.

All homes and buildings in NSW, irrespective of whether they are located within a mine subsidence district, are eligible for compensation if they are damaged by mine subsidence provided applicable approvals have been met.

If a home or structure has been damaged by mine subsidence, the property owner can lodge a claim for compensation with Subsidence Advisory.

Learn more about the claims process.

The underground mining areas provide a general indication of areas where underground coal mining has occurred in NSW. It does not mean that all properties within the identified area have been directly mined beneath.

As underground coal mining has occurred in NSW for over 100 years, it is possible for the position of old mine workings to differ slightly from that shown on the Mine Survey Plans. To account for possible discrepancies in the position of old mine workings, the Underground Coal Mining Areas include a buffer zone around historical mine workings.

Properties within this buffer zone will show as within an Underground Coal Mining Area despite not shown as directly mined beneath on the official Survey Plans held by the NSW Resources Regulator within the Department of Planning, Industry and Environment.

The NSW Resources Regulator within the Department of Planning, Industry and Environment is the official holder of Mine Survey Plans in NSW.

Under clause 127(3) of the Work Health and Safety (Mines and Petroleum Sites) Regulation 2014, the Resources Regulator can only make a copy of a survey plan to a person in certain circumstances.

To find out more or make an application for copies of survey plans, please visit the NSW Resources Regulator website. Generally, these records are not available to the public.

No. The Underground Coal Mining Areas on the NSW Planning Portal do not include areas where coal mining is planned in the future. The layer only shows areas where coal extraction has occurred.

Subsidence Advisory updates the underground mining areas approximately every three months based on official mine record tracings provided by the NSW Resources Regulator within the NSW Department of Planning, Industry and Environment.

Subsidence Advisory updates the underground mining areas on the NSW Planning Portal approximately every three months based on official records provided by the NSW Resources Regulator within the Department of Planning, Industry and Environment.

There are many areas in NSW where the presence of underground mining is well known and there is high demand for property.

Subsidence Advisory provides a fair, efficient and sustainable compensation scheme for dealing with the impacts of coal mine subsidence to protect the value of property and safety of the community. For example, Newcastle has a long history of successfully managing subsidence risks while maintaining a vibrant property market.

Areas where there are potential subsidence risks to development are included within a mine subsidence district so Subsidence Advisory can help prevent damage and reduce the impact on property owners should subsidence occur

For further information please call Subsidence Advisory NSW on (02) 4908 4300 or email subsidenceadvisory@customerservice.nsw.gov.au.