Sirius criticised for delay on York potash plans
THE North York Moors National Park Authority has criticised Sirius Minerals for deferring the decision on its York Potash mining scheme.
The National Park Authority had been due to consider the company’s planning application on July 29 but yesterday, Sirius requested to defer it as it needed more time to ensure the development would not harm the environment. Sirius said the move was aimed an ensuring that it has the time to address all outstanding environmental queries about its plans for the major mine in an area of the national park near Whitby.
The National Park Authority said: “The authority will continue to work constructively with the company over its application. It regrets the continued uncertainty this will cause for local communities and others.
“The further delay will also be hugely disruptive for the authority as well as costly, but given the significance of the application believed it was appropriate to accede to the company’s request.”
No date has been decided for a revised determination date.
Sirius Minerals today said it continues to make “significant progress” in customer support for polyhalite around the globe. As part of this progress, it said it has entered into additional agreements and commitments with fertilizer distributors and manufacturers operating in various countries including Mexico, Chile, Ecuador, Thailand and Indonesia, for the future sales of polyhalite from the York Potash Project.
Chris Fraser, managing director and CEO of Sirius, said: “This is yet further validation of the global market for polyhalite and the value the world-leading York Potash deposit has to customers here in the UK and around the globe.
“These agreements further cement the importance of polyhalite and the exceptional case for the York Potash Project as the number of customers interested in gaining access to long-term supply of the unique multi-nutrient characteristics of polyhalite continues to exceed our expectations.”
