Site of North Yorkshire Potash Mine Revealed

A site in North Yorkshire's been revealed as the location in plans for a new Potash mine.

Sirius Minerals says the site - which would be heavily screened so it's notan eyesore - would be near Sneaton on the B1416 close to Whitby.

The company says it'll be holding several events to talk to the public from next week.

North York Moors National Park Authority Statement:

York Potash has today (September 3, 2012) announced its preferred location for a new potash mine to be developed to the south of Sneaton village within the North York Moors National Park.

The Authority understands the significance of the proposals and will carefully assess the potential economic benefits as well as the environmental impacts before reaching any decision.

When a planning application is submitted, it will be assessed against national and local planning policies which presume against major developments being located in designated areas such as National Parks unless there are exceptional circumstances (see Editor’s Notes).

It will be the Authority’s job to make an objective and rigorous assessment of the proposals and to consult with others bodies to decide whether these exceptional circumstances exist or whether the mine could be located outside the National Park.

Chris France, Director of Planning, said:

“The development of a new mine would be a major and complex undertaking and the impact on the National Park environment is much wider than the surface buildings and structures. Before Members make a decision, the Authority will need to look at the development as a whole and consider a wide variety of issues including transport and energy needs, implications for housing and local services, ways of dealing with spoil from the mineshaft as well as proposals for the pipeline to cross the National Park.”

The Authority will now be engaged in pre-application consultations with local communities and key stakeholders. A pre-application presentation by York Potash to the Authority’s Members will take place on September 28 and the Authority will also be attending local meetings to outline the process for dealing with the application, answer queries, and listen to local views on the proposals. There will be further consultation with all stakeholders and local communities once a formal planning application has been submitted.