Conservation urgency increases as mineral wealth is exploited

North Yorkshire County Council has joined forces with English Heritage to carry out one of the most comprehensive programmes of research ever undertaken to help preserve the historic environments and landscapes.

The data will be used to shape a long-term plan spanning the next two decades to ensure mineral operations remain sustainable.

North Yorkshire is one of the largest mineral-producing areas in the country, and is facing the arrival of multi-million pound developments to exploit the available natural resources.

Proposals have been unveiled to create a major potash mine centred on the North York Moors which could employ up to 5,000 people.

Operations are already being carried out on the coast at Boulby, near Staithes, to mine the rich seam of potash, which is used as a fertiliser.

But Sirius, the firm behind the new proposals, believes the introduction of a separate mine has the potential to unearth billions of pounds of potash.

In a separate project, a gas plant earmarked for the edge of the North York Moors National Park could bring up to £10m to the local economy over the next two decades.

The county council’s executive member for countryside services, Councillor Chris Metcalfe, claimed the new developments were vital to drive forward North Yorkshire’s economy – but not at the expense of the environment.

He said: “These new developments are extremely welcome at a time of such economic uncertainty, but it is crucial that they are handled correctly. North Yorkshire has a huge amount to offer the visitor economy, and the correct balance needs to be struck.

“A lot of people come to North Yorkshire because of what is on offer in the countryside, and we have to protect the integrity of the natural environment.”

English Heritage is provided £90,000 towards the council’s £115,000 Managing Landscape Change project to ensure landscapes and bio-diversity are taken into account in future minerals policy.

The council has enlisted one of the country’s biggest consultancy firms, Capita Symonds UK, and specialists from Oxford Archaeology to work on the project, which will run until February next year.

The data will then be incorporated into the council’s Minerals Core Strategy, which is due to be adopted in 2013 and would steer planning policies until 2030.

Concerns have been voiced about the scale of development that is proposed – with a major focus on the North York Moors National Park.

The National Park Authority will be responsible for deciding if the potash mine is given the go-ahead, although the county council will be one of the principal bodies to be consulted.

And the Yorkshire Post revealed yesterday that Moorland Energy, the firm behind the Ryedale Gas Project, has lodged an appeal with the Planning Inspectorate.

The county council has yet to make a decision on the gas plant scheme despite a planning application being submitted in April last year, prompting the decision by Moorland Energy to lodge the appeal.

A costly public inquiry is now due to be held before a decision is expected next year.

But the North Yorkshire Moors Association’s chairman, Tom Chadwick, has claimed that the multi-million pound schemes have “no place in a national park landscape”.

Local assets attract interest

SPANNING 3,200 sq miles, North Yorkshire’s rich and diverse landscapes are among the nation’s most prized environmental assets.

But the county’s natural resources have attracted interest from multi-national companies which are keen to establish major commercial operations.

North Yorkshire’s reserves include limestone, sandstone and clay as well as coal, potash and gas.