ANOTHER planning application has been granted approval as part of the York Potash project, which seeks to build a £1.5 billion mine and create more than 1,000 jobs.

Sirius Minerals, parent company of York Potash, announced it has been granted approval for its handling facility at Wilton in Teesside, by planning officers at Redcar and Cleveland Borough Council.

The firm is yet to get the go-ahead for the mine, which it plans to build at Sneaton, near Whitby, with an application currently under consideration with the North York Moors National Park authority.

Last week, Redcar and Cleveland Borough Council unanimously voted to grant permission to York Potash’s underground transport system, which will take the potash mineral from the proposed mine near Whitby to the handling facility, where it will be processed and sold as fertiliser.

However, plans for the mineral transport system submitted to the North York Moors National Park Authority are still to be determined.

The firm is also awaiting an outcome on its application for the harbour facilities, which has been accepted for examination by the Planning Inspectorate.

Chris Fraser, managing director and chief executive of Sirius, said: “This is another positive step forward for the development of the York Potash Project.”

Sirius says the mine will create 1,040 direct jobs, with a further 1,010 supported in the construction and development phase, and £1.2 billion delivered in exports.