Decision looming for £2bn mining operation

Senior officials from Sirius Minerals, who unveiled blueprints for the proposed mine centred on the North York Moors National Park at the start of last year, admitted they are facing a crunch time over the next six months to ensure the controversial scheme becomes a reality.

An extensive programme of exploratory drilling work is continuing but the long-awaited announcement as to where the mine is due to be built is expected to be made within the next two months. Both the company and the North York Moors National Park Authority are then due to embark on a wide-ranging public consultation before a full planning application is submitted, expected by the end of the year.

The authority’s planning committee will have to make a decision within a designated 16-week period once the documents have been received.

The York Potash Project’s head of external affairs, Gareth Edmunds, said: “We are approaching the beginning of the planning process, which is obviously a key time for everyone involved. We will be announcing the proposed location of the mine in the coming weeks, before a public consultation is held. We want to engage with all interested parties but especially the public to show exactly what is proposed, how the mine will look and operate.”

The seam in North Yorkshire is one of the world’s most extensive deposits of potash, which is a key component in fertiliser, and it is seen as a hugely important alternative source of the mineral to help boost crop yields while satiating global food demand.

The Yorkshire Post revealed in December that the chief executive of Sirius Minerals, Chris Fraser, had claimed the scheme will prove a watershed with the arrival of 21st century techniques to place the region once again at the cutting-edge of the global mining industry.

It is hoped the potash mine, which is expected to cost as much as £2bn to build, will bring a massive employment boost with up to 5,000 jobs to the Yorkshire coast, which is one of the region’s unemployment blackspots. But the proposals have split opinion as the potash seam is centred on the North York Moors National Park and concerns have been voiced that a major mining operation would destroy one of the country’s finest landscapes.

The national park authority’s director of planning, Chris France, has already maintained the go-ahead for the exploratory drilling work is no indication that the overall scheme will be approved. He stressed that while the authority is supportive of mineral exploration, national planning policies dictate a very different approach to mineral extraction.

Mr France confirmed yesterday the park authority will be staging a series of public consultation events once a report detailing the mine’s proposed location is submitted ahead of the full planning application.

He added: “The whole impact of the mine needs to be assessed, and it is incredibly important that we consult fully about the details.”

Sirius Minerals confirmed last month that it would invest almost £55m in ensuring the potash mine in the North York Moors National Park becomes a reality. The investment, which is being provided from the firm’s cash reserves for the last financial year, will fund the exploratory drilling programme as well as planning applications and feasibility studies.

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