Report

The Woodsmith Project - S73 Project Amendments : Planning Statement

Development Appraisal

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Needs and Alternatives

In appraising a scheme against the requirements of the Major Development Test (‘MDT’), paragraph 190 of the NPPF advises that consideration should be given to:

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the need for the development;

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• the cost of and scope for developing elsewhere outside the National Park, or meeting the need for it in some other way; and • any detrimental effect on the environment, landscape and recreational opportunities and the extent to which such impacts could be moderated. The above principles are also carried forward in strategic policies A and D of the NYM Local Plan, alongside Policy D04 of the North Yorkshire Minerals and Waste Joint Plan. Briefly reviewing the previous planning application, documentation submitted evidenced the need for polyhalite, highlighting the quality of the resource available at Woodsmith Mine; the agronomic case for polyhalite as a major plant nutrient; the potential role of the product in assisting global food scarcity; and the strong international market for polyhalite. The case was made that this would enable significant economic benefits to be delivered at a local, regional and national scale, thereby addressing longstanding economic needs. With regard to the second MDT consideration, the original application was approved on the basis that polyhalite as a resource was centred within a geographically specific part of the National Park, in close proximity to Woodsmith Mine and specifically that it represented the most significant source in terms of scale and quality anywhere in the world. An Alternative Sites Assessment (September 2014) submitted with the application additionally demonstrated that there were no alternative sites for the Woodsmith Mine proposals, either within or outside of the National Park with due regard to a series of robust criteria including prevailing geological conditions. Full details of both the need and the alternatives case associated with the original application are not repeated here, and reference should be made to both the Major Development Test and Alternative Site Assessment documents that accompanied the original application, for full details (see Conclusions of the MDT Planning Statement September 2014 Section 10, and Conclusions of the Alternative Site Assessment, September 2014 Section 9.0). Focused on the world’s largest polyhalite resource, the Woodsmith Project represents a unique asset for the UK that will drive growth, generate large-scale exports, create high value jobs and further employment in the supply chain, diversify the local economy, deliver wider social benefits and thereby make a significant contribution towards addressing long standing challenges in the regional economy. This is detailed further in Chapter 12 of the Supplementary Environmental Statement which accompanies this submission. In addition, polyhalite will provide farmers with a fertiliser solution to tackle three key challenges facing the global food system - the increasing demand for more food from less available agricultural land, the need to reduce the environmental impact of farming and the deteriorating health of soils. In December 2025, research was published by a leading scientific research body validating polyhalite’s ability to increase crop yields by 3-5%

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