THE company aiming to build a billion pound potash mine in North Yorkshire has put back the submission of its planning application.

The news is the latest in a line of delays by York Potash, which originally submitted a planning application in September 2012, before withdrawing it last summer.

The firmwas expecting to submit fresh plans for the proposed mine, at Sneaton near Whitby, later this month in a move which will ultimately create 1,000 direct jobs, if approved by the North York Moors National Park planning authority.

However yesterday Sirius Minerals, the parent company of York Potash, announced the application will now not be submitted until September.

The company said the delay is to allow the application to be submitted alongside plans for its mineral transport system, which will take the potash from the coast to a port facility in Teesside.

York Potash says the delay will not impact upon the overall development schedule, which subject to approval will see the mine delivering its first production of the plant fertiliser ingredient Potash in mid 2018.

Chris Fraser, chief executive of Sirius, said the Company and officers of the national park authority have also been working together to agree an informal pre-application ‘Planning Position Statement’.

He said: "We have had productive and wide ranging pre-application engagement with the authority officers and advisers over the past nine to 12 months and aligning the submissions should make the process more straightforward and therefore is beneficial to all parties.

"We believe this is the most productive way forward, particularly as this doesn’t impact the overall project schedule.

"In the meantime, the common ground we have currently reached with the authority officers provides very clear guidance as to detail that the applications need to include at the point of submission."

If plans are submitted as the company hopes in September, a decison for the mine will be expected in January next year.