A MINING company has unveiled designs and a preferred location for a proposed project that would create up to 5,000 jobs.

York Potash wants to create a concealed mine at Dove Nest Farm and Hacksby Plantation, off the B1416, about 2.5 miles south of Whitby.

The plans include a 30-mile underground pipeline to transport the mined polyhalite, which is processed to make super-fertiliser potash, to a processing plant in Teesside .

The company says this will minimise traffic to and from the site, and remove the need for a processing site in the National Park.

The plans have been announced as the company launches its public consultation programme before finalising the proposals and submitting a planning application to the North York Moors National Park Authority towards the end of the year.

Following a 12-month investigation into possible sites, the company announced the details to the market this morning after considering technical, operational, ecological, environmental, social and community factors.

The site was chosen because it is screened by trees to minimise the visual impact on the North York Moors National Park, is in middle of the polyhalite deposit to allow access to the seam and has good road links.

The proposed mine would see a 4.5-hectare development within a 100-hectare site, with shafthead frames and pipeline loading area covered with agricultural-style buildings.

Under the plans, the mine support building and visitor centre, with statutory mining facilities such as welfare and emergency support, would be located within the forestry block of the site.

A spokesman for York Potash said the site’s topography and heavy screening by mature trees meant the developed mine would be completely concealed.

He added that while the site has relatively close access to Whitby, it is also isolated with only seven properties located within a ¾-mile radius.

Following engineering design work, the company is proposing to use a vertical twin shaft design to reduce the volumes of excavated material from the shafts as well as the surface area of the mine.

It will also minimise technical complexity to reduce the time needed for construction.

All soil excavated from the mine shafts will be used to landscape the site, and three reed bed settlement ponds will be created.

The company has also today submitted an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) screening and scoping request to the North York Moors National Park Authority, which will set out the environmental issues York Potash proposes to examine as part of its plans.

The authority will assess the request and either approve it, or ask York Potash to look at additional issues.

Following the EIA and public consultation, York Potash is intending to formally submit its plans to the park authority by the end of the year.

The authority must make a decision on the plans within 16 weeks. The authority will launch a second public consultation on the submitted plans and consider all views represented in this period.

If approved, the proposals would see York Potash, which is owned by international conglomerate Sirius Minerals, create 1,000 direct jobs when the mine reaches full capacity, and 4,000 in the supply chain.

Chris Fraser, managing director and CEO of Sirius, said: “From the outset of the York Potash project, we have said we can develop a world-leading, state-of-the-art potash mine in an unobtrusive way.

“Our proposed location and design concepts show what would be a relatively simple concept to construct, but with one of the world’s most innovative approaches to lowimpact mine design.

“This is a nationally significant project that brings with it extensive local benefits to North Yorkshire.

“The location and our mine designs demonstrate we can minimise the impact of the mine and deliver on our longstanding commitment to the local community.”