Concerns over national park potash mine to be answered in series of exhibitions

REVEALING the design and location of a mine that could boost the region’s economy and bring thousands of jobs represents a major milestone for the project, the boss of a minerals company has said.

Chris Fraser, managing director and chief executive of Sirius Minerals, the international company which owns York Potash, has told The Northern Echo the proposals for the mine, which would be situated in the North York Moors National Park, have been two years in the making.

If approved, the £1.5bn mine near Whitby will extract polyhalite from what is thought to be one of the world’s largest and purest seams. The mineral is processed to make potash, a super-fertiliser which is in increasing demand from the world’s growing population.

The mine could create up to 1,000 direct jobs and another 4,000 indirect jobs.

The designs, revealed today, show the company’s preferred location and design of the mine, which involves concealing the 4.5-hectare development, including the mine shafthead frames and processing loading point, in agricultural- style buildings.

The site has been chosen partly because it is already screened by mature trees and hedgerow to minimise impact on the national park.

Although the overall site the 4.5-hectare development will sit on is 100 hectares, a spokesman for the company has said this is the maximum amount of development which will be needed to get the mine to full capacity.

The company has chosen to use a larger site for both flexibility and to minimise the visual impact on the landscape.

After a public consultation period opening this week, the company hopes to submit its plans to the North York Moors National Park Authority by the end of the year.

If approved, work could begin as soon as April next year, said Mr Fraser.

“We are doing everything we can to get ourselves in a position where we can start construction in April,” he said.

“I believe it is a major milestone for the project. We have been working on this for two years.

“We are coming out and answering the two questions everyone has asked: where is it going to be and what is it going to look like.”

He said he thought the company had managed to come up with designs which had minimised any negative impact on the national park, and hoped the public and the markets would respond positively.

“We are very excited and proud of the designs we have got for the mine’s location.

“I think these images are a big step forward in terms of fulfilling the promise we made that we would do this in the right way and to have the littlest impact we can while bringing lots of positives to the area.

“I am hoping people will see those designs and understand that.”

He said the company would be very willing to listen to any concerns raised by the community.

He said: “We are hoping to enter into a positive dialogue with the local community.”

EXHIBITION PROGRAMME

YORK Potash is staging a number of public exhibitions, as follows:

Thursday, September 13 , noon to 7.30pm, Sneaton Village Hall, Sneaton, Whitby.

Friday, September 14 , noon to 7.30pm, Sleights Village Hall, Coach Road, Sleights.

Saturday, September 15 , 10am to 4pm, Pannett Park Art Gallery and Whitby Museum Pannett Park, Whitby.

Thursday, September 20 , noon to 7.30pm, Hawsker and Stainsacre Parish Hall, Mill Lane, Low Hawsker.

Friday, September 21 , noon to 7.30pm, Fylingdales Village Hall, Robin Hood’s Bay, Whitby.

Saturday, September 22 , 10am to 4pm, Pannett Park Art Gallery and Whitby Museum Pannett Park, Whitby.

Thursday, September 27 , noon to 7.30pm, St Mary’s Church and Community Hall, Cloughton High Street, Scarborough.

Friday, September 28 , noon to 6pm, Town Hall, St Nicholas Street, Scarborough.

• For further information on the plans, go to yorkpotash.co.uk , call Stuart Fox or Matthew Sutton, of the consultation team, on 0845-543- 8964, email info@yorkpotash.co.uk , or write to York Potash Project Consultation, 7-10 Manor Court, Manor Garth, Scarborough YO11 3TU