The Campaign for National Parks has issued a Press Release in response to the news that the formal Decision Notice authorising the York Potash Ltd proposal to mine potash from beneath the North York Moors National Park.

The Campaign for National Parks has resistedthe proposal from the outset.

Media Statement

The issuing of the formal decision notice for the York Potash planning application is another key step for this project but it is still not the end of the story as far as we are concerned.

We remain convinced that the project is completely incompatible with National Park purposes and that the promised economic benefits for the surrounding area do not justify the huge damage to the National Park’s landscape, wildlife and local tourism economy.

Now that the formal decision notice has been issued, details of final planning conditions and the S106 agreement are in the public domain, and we will be reviewing these and other relevant documentation to determine whether we have grounds for a legal challenge.

This is a major undertaking for a small charity but it is something we feel we must consider given the significance of this decision for the protection of all our National Parks.

We have six weeks from the date of the decision notice to apply for a legal challenge.

Notes to Editors

Background information on our campaign against the York Potash mine can be found at www.cnp.org.uk/north-york-moors-potash-mine-threat

The Campaign for National Parks has called for a public inquiry to examine plans to develop the world’s largest potash mine in the North York Moors.

The charity today (Tuesday 10th March 2015)  asked for the Communities Secretary Eric Pickles to call in the planning application for the York Potash mine head and tunnel, near Whitby, on the grounds that it is an issue of national significance which conflicts with national policy on the protection of National Parks.

Other reasons why a public inquiry is needed are that the application has significant effects beyond its immediate locality and, if approved, would give rise to substantial national controversy.

The mine plan involves the construction of a mine head and mine shaft at Dove’s Nest Farm along with a tunnel to transport the mineral 23 miles from the mine site to Wilton on Teeside where the extracted mineral would be processed for export.

Four other organisations – the National Trust, Yorkshire Wildlife Trust, the North Yorkshire Moors Association and the Campaign for Protection of Rural England Coastal branch – are also calling for a public inquiry.

The Campaign for National Parks has also submitted its letter of objection to the planning application for the mine head and mineral transport system this week. This argues that the application should be refused on the grounds that it does not pass the major development test, which only allows developments of this scale in a National Park in exceptional circumstances and when they can be demonstrated to be in the national interest.

Ruth Bradshaw, Campaign for National Parks policy and research manager, said the potential impact of the current York Potash application was even greater than the previous application lodged in 2013. The tunnel which is part of the new application requires three access shafts – one of these is in the National Park (Ladycross Plantation, near Egton) and a second just outside it at Lockwood Beck. The landscape and visual impact at both these sites and at Dove’s Nest Farm, the proposed location for the minehead, would be considerable, particularly during the construction period which has been extended from three to five years.

During significant parts of the construction period, temporary structures will be needed at all these locations with 76m high cranes – nearly four times the height of the Angel of the North.

There will also be an increase in traffic and at certain peak times during construction there will be an HGV approximately every 2.5 minutes, leading to increased noise levels in the early morning and late evening.

Ms Bradshaw said:

“We’re very concerned about the threat that this mine poses for the North York Moors and the damage it will cause to landscape, biodiversity and recreational activities. Surveys – both by North York Moors National Park Authority and by York Potash – have shown there would significant damage to the local tourism economy, particularly during the lengthy construction period.”

She added that the planning application for the potash mine also has much wider significance as it is a really important test of the national planning protection for National Parks:

“National Parks are protected in law for good reasons. Not only are they extraordinary landscapes providing clean water, wildlife habitats and benefits critical to a healthy environment but they also contribute significantly to the national economy. This project is simply incompatible with the statutory purposes of National Parks.”

Karin Taylor, head of land use planning at the National Trust, said:

“This application threatens to undermine the principles under which National Parks are protected through the planning system and could even threaten the designation of the North York Moors as a National Park. Given the scale of the development and the likely changes to the landscape, there’s a clear need for the Secretary of State to call in this application and for a public inquiry to assess the impacts and the national need for this development.”

Tom Chadwick, Chairman of the North Yorkshire Moors Association, added:

“If this development is allowed to go ahead it will amount to sacrificing the integrity of an English National Park to satisfy an alarming trend for economic growth at any cost. That is why this planning application needs to be examined at a public inquiry.”

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“York Potash Need To Deliver The Full Facts”

The Campaign for National Parks said it was frustrated by today’s news that the company behind proposals to build Europe’s largest potash mine in the North York Moors still hasn’t provided the full facts about the impact on the National Park. The National Park Authority (NPA) has announced that York Potash want to make amendments to key parts of the planning application and that they are expecting to submit further information in January 2015. The new information will include important details relating to transport and the amount of spoil generated by the project both of which could have significant environmental impacts.

There was a very similar situation in 2013 when the NPA had to ask York Potash to provide additional information to address a number of significant errors and omissions in the previous application for this project. While every planning application should contain all the information that decision makers need to assess it properly, this is even more important in National Parks where additional planning protection applies.

Commenting on today’s announcement, Ruth Bradshaw, Policy and Research Manager said: “This demonstrates that York Potash still haven’t understood the significance of National Park status. Even after all this extra time, they have still not been able to deliver a planning application which includes the information that planners need. The law is very clear on the need to provide a full assessment of the environmental impacts of projects of this scale and that’s particularly important in a National Park.” 

Ms Bradshaw added: “It’s not clear whether this latest omission is an oversight or a deliberate attempt to obscure the facts. However, what is clear is that any delays caused to the decision-making process are entirely the company’s responsibility. This will mean further uncertainty for all those affected by the proposal and could also lead to even higher expenditure for the NPA which has already had to spend a significant part of its budget dealing with this planning application.”

After being postponed twice, in July 2013 the decision on the previous application was deferred indefinitely at the last minute at York Potash’s request to allow them to submit further essential information. There then followed months of uncertainty for the NPA and local communities before York Potash finally withdrew that application completely.

We objected to the previous application on the grounds that developments of this scale are only allowed in a National Park in exceptional circumstances, and when they can be demonstrated to be in the public interest. We believe there are strong grounds for turning down the current application and are currently preparing our detailed response.

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Notes:

1. The Campaign for National Parks is the independent national voice for the 13 National Parks in England and Wales. Our mission is to inspire everyone to enjoy and look after National Parks – the nation’s green treasures. Our letters of objection to the 2013 planning application for the minehead are available here.

2. The North York Moors NPA announcement is available here.