North Yorkshire County Council "delighted" with go-ahead for £1.7bn potash mine

The North York Moors National Park Authority has backed plans for a £1.7bn potash mine near Whitby.

The mine, which will create 1,000 new jobs, will dig a mile-deep shaft under protected moorland and tunnel 16km inland from the coast.

On Tuesday, eight members of the national park authority gave the go ahead to UK firm Sirius Minerals – via its subsidiary York Potash, to build the mine. Seven members voted against.

North Yorkshire County Council has unanimously welcomed the national park authority’s decision to give the go-ahead for the potash mine.

The County Council, which has responsibilities for transport infrastructure, education, skills training and economic development, has always backed the application for a mine by York Potash because of the benefits a strategic industry would bring to the local, sub-regional and national economy.

County Councillor Gareth Dadd, North Yorkshire’s Deputy Leader, said: “We are delighted with this decision. The economic, employment and skills benefits that this mine will bring to the region will be huge.

“We fully accept that all the checks and balances must be in place to protect this beautiful, unique environment”, he added, “but as a local authority our duty is to ensure that the region develops a vibrant, long-term economic future in order to sustain and support its communities, especially its young people. The status of the National Parks must be protected, but the Parks must also support their populations.”

The County Council’s Children and Young People’s Service has also welcomed York Potash’s aim to recruit local people for a range of roles and hopes that any agreement would also include funding for training, as staff recruited to operate the mine will need to possess high level relevant skills or skills transferable to a mining environment.

The County Council ware also supportive of York Potash’s involvement with an array of local providers and partners to develop and support a Skills Strategy which demonstrates a commitment to support local people to develop the necessary skills and qualifications to gain employment during the construction phase, as well as during the mine operation.