Outrage at plan to create 'temporary village' of 400 mineworkers in North York Moors

While Anglo American has described its Woodsmith polyhalite fertiliser mine project on the North York Moors near Whitby as “re-imagining mining to improve people’s lives”, residents of Egton, near Whitby, saying the huge industrial venture is having a significant impact on their wellbeing.

Numerous residents have lodged objections this week with the North York Moors National Park Authority to Anglo American’s application for consent to use the nearby Ladycross Caravan Park as an “accommodation park” for the duration of the shaft sinking stages of the mine, which is forecast to take five years.

The proposal comes just months after Egton residents battled plans for a housing and industrial development on the edge of the village, before the authority decided the scheme would ride roughshod through policies designed to protect the national park’s communities and landscapes.

Documents lodged with the authority state Anglo American is seeking consent for two-person cabins, with solar panels, in the place of the 189 pitches on the carvan park, as well as welfare lodges.

The firm says after securing planning consent in 2015 to create a construction village next to Whitby Business Park, Scarborough Borough Council allocated the site for housing in its Local Plan, leading to the development of a housing estate there instead.

The firm says having provided accommodation for workers in holiday cottages, hotel rooms and a former care home it has become clear “further accommodation of a more consistent standard is required”.

The planning documents claim the proposed scheme would help reduce pressure on alternative additional tourism accommodation that would otherwise need to be used by the Woodsmith project’s contractors and facilitate a net reduction in total vehicle movements through the park.

However, within days of the firm’s plans being published, residents of Egton and caravan park users have appealed to the park authority to dismiss the scheme, saying despite having received assurances over the mine as the scheme was approved, it was greatly impacting on their lives.

In a letter of objection one resident stated: “Our roads are busy enough as it is without these comings and goings, it’s absolutely absurd to believe this won’t add a risk to people and wildlife.”

Another resident wrote how the mine area is already “lit up like Blackpool, driving all wildlife away”, while others questioned the overall public benefits of the scheme and said it was high time the authority resisted the requests of the firm.

One resident said: “We were convinced the mine would have minimal disruption to the village. So far, this is far from true. The road is constantly like a dirt track with the street cleaner causing more of a hindrance than a solution. All it does is push the mud around and make it wet and covering the cars. I’m sick to death of washing mine.”

In another objection, a resident stated: “Such a populace would exceed the current residency of Egton, ruining the equilibrium of a beautiful, peaceful village. This huge development will completely change Egton for the worse.”