Engineering news
A plan to build a huge potash mine in one of the UK's national parks has been approved.
A special planning meeting voted by eight votes to seven to allow the York Potash project to build the mine in the North York Moors National Park, just south of Whitby.
Sirius Minerals, the firm behind the York Potash Project, claimed it will be unobtrusive and lead to the creation of more than 1,000 jobs in the north-east of England.
However, a consortium of campaigning organisations – including the Campaign to Protect Rural England and the National Trust – joined forces to urge the councillors and other panel members meeting today to reject the proposals, saying the mine was a "huge threat" to the North York Moors and also a "critical test" of the national parks ideal.
Sirius will now build on the site, near the village of Sneaton, to access 1.3 billion tonnes of polyhalite discovered below the Yorkshire coastline. Geologists believe this is the world's biggest and best quality supply of the valuable mineral.
The York Potash Project would see a 1,500-metre mine sunk beneath the park, which would tunnel outwards and pump the polyhalite underground about 30 miles north to Teesside, where it would be processed.
The firm said it believes its project has "massive levels of public support".
Sirius Minerals chief executive Chris Fraser said after the meeting: "We'll go and celebrate but then we'll get on with the real job of building a mine.
"The reality is that this a big project. It's exceptional by many, many measures and thankfully the community saw it that way."
The Campaign for National Parks has called again for a public inquiry. The campaign is also considering a legal challenge to the decision "as a last resort" as it was such an important test case. The group has six weeks to apply for a judicial review.