Developer accused in homes row

Mirfield Town councillor Steve Benson with his drone taking aerial pictures of the site of the planned housing development on Balderstone fields Consulting, which said an investigation of the 11.4 acre site had revealed 12 suspected mine entries.

It has been recommended that the shafts be filled and capped, and that such remedial work will be sufficient to make the area safe for building.

Newcastle-based Bellway Homes has subsequently revised its development layout to ensure that all new buildings lie beyond no-build “zones of influence” and to comply with a request by the Coal Authority to avoid building over mine workings.

However Clr Benson said filling and capping - known as “grouting” - is not a foolproof method of dealing with mine shafts.

“The Coal Authority is not happy with that technique. They would rather excavate them out and then fill with stone in layers.

“Bellway are trying to say that there is competent rock cover but no one knows how deep the mine shafts go.

“There are a lot of mine workings Steve Benson’s aerial photograph of the proposed development site at Balderstone Hall Fields in Mirfield, overlaid with a design showing the house plan, with identified mining features on that site. What lies beneath is a network and a huge void that has been mined. The question now is how deep and how far from each mine entry do they go?

“No one knows or they would have probed it. Bellway is attempting to gloss over what really lies under Balderstone Fields.

“Bellway has identified 12 coal features. I know of 15. The report advises simply moving plots that are affected but that will still leave mine entries in gardens and driveways.

“Who would buy a new house with a mine shaft in their garden or driveway?”

Clr Benson has recommended that Mirfield Town Council objects immediately on the grounds that site investigation requirements set out by the Coal Authority have not been adhered to.

Bellway Homes approached for comment.