North Yorkshire Council has approved plans for Drax Power Ltd to extract up to 23.5 million tonnes of ash from a disposal site adjacent to Drax Power Station. The 161-hectare mound, located north-west of the power station near Selby, has been used for ash deposits since the 1970s and reaches up to 39 metres.
The scheme aims to recover ash for use in construction products, including concrete, which could reduce the demand for virgin aggregates. Extraction is planned to continue until 2045, with site restoration expected to be completed by 2055.
The council imposed conditions on the working hours following resident concerns about dust, noise, lighting, and air pollution. The planning committee agreed that the site could only be worked from 08:00 until 20:00, excluding Sundays and bank holidays. An additional condition mandates that 65% of the ash must be transported by rail, with the rest removed by road.
A legal agreement also includes a £200,000 fund to help mitigate the scheme's impact on the surrounding landscape. Council officers concluded that, with these conditions, the development would not cause unacceptable impacts on residents, highways, ecology, air quality, or the water environment.