A charity campaigning for the preservation of protected landscapes in England and Wales has called for a public inquiry into plans for a large potash mine near Whitby, in an area of the North York Moors national park.

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The Campaign for National Parks this week called on Communities Secretary Eric Pickles to call in the planning application for the York Potash mine head and tunnel, near Whitby, which campaigners said could be the world’s largest potash mine.

The Campaign said the mine proposal conflicts with national policy on the protection of National Parks. They warn that the proposal does not pass the major development test, a condition that only allows large scale developments in national parks in ‘exceptional circumstances’ or when they can be demonstrated to be in the national interest.

The mine plan involves the construction of a mine head and mine shaft at Dove’s Nest Farm along with a tunnel to transport the mineral 23 miles from the mine site to Wilton on Teeside where the extracted mineral would be processed for export.

The CNP has joined four other conservation organisations – the National Trust, Yorkshire Wildlife Trust, the North Yorkshire Moors Association and the Campaign for Protection of Rural England Coastal branch – in calling for a public inquiry.

Ruth Bradshaw, Campaign for National Parks policy and research manager, said the potential impact of the current York Potash application was even greater than the previous application lodged in 2013. Ms Bradshaw said, “We’re very concerned about the threat that this mine poses for the North York Moors and the damage it will cause to landscape, biodiversity and recreational activities. Surveys – both by North York Moors National Park Authority and by York Potash – have shown there would significant damage to the local tourism economy, particularly during the lengthy construction period.”

She added that the planning application for the potash mine also has much wider significance as it is a really important test of the national planning protection for National Parks, “National Parks are protected in law for good reasons. Not only are they extraordinary landscapes providing clean water, wildlife habitats and benefits critical to a healthy environment but they also contribute significantly to the national economy. This project is simply incompatible with the statutory purposes of National Parks.”

On Tuesday, Tom Chadwick, Chair of the North Yorkshire Moors Association, added “If this development is allowed to go ahead it will amount to sacrificing the integrity of an English National Park to satisfy an alarming trend for economic growth at any cost. That is why this planning application needs to be examined at a public inquiry.”