Campaigners launch new protest against Harrogate Spring Water’s expansion plans

Members of Save Rotary Wood Again! are to launch a nature trail on Saturday, December 10 at Rotary Wood, the area likely to be most affected by the a bigger bottling plant.

Harrogate Spring Water’s expansions plans have become one of the town’s most contentious debates since this bottled water brand secured outline planning permission for its expansion in 2017.

After winning outline permission for its expansion plans five years ago, Harrogate Spring Water, which is owned by French firm Danone, failed to get approval for final designs which were 40% larger than original plans and would have seen more trees chopped down at Rotary Wood which was planted by children 16 years ago.

The company then announced it would revert back to its original plans and said it was looking into ways to achieve net biodiversity gain for the site, with proposals for a compensatory tree planting scheme.

After holding another public consultation recently, Harrogate Spring Water said it was set to finalise the details to submit to Harrogate Borough Council planners.

Supporters of Save Rotary Wood Again! say they are against the expansion altogether as the woodland needed to be protected because of its "great importance" to biodiversity and the community.

In September, a spokesperson for Harrogate Spring Water said: “We remain committed to taking on board people’s views about the design and landscaping of the proposed extension, which was granted outline planning permission by Harrogate Borough Council in 2017.

“We are putting together our updated proposals for how the new building will look and how the surrounding area will be landscaped.

“We intend to put these proposals on display to the public to gather their thoughts before we send our updated reserved matters proposals to the council."

But local environment groups remain worried about the potential impact on woodland in the area - despite pledges by the company to listen to the community and scale back its expansion plans.

Harrogate school teacher Sarah Gibbs, who has become one of the public faces of the campaign, argues the threat to trees remains the same as before and is calling for the company to take fully into account the ecological implications.

She said: "The commitment by Danone to replace felled trees at a rate of two to one demonstrates a complete lack of ecological and conservation awareness.

"It is important that the people of the Harrogate district, and beyond, understand that they can be truly heard, and that their efforts to save Rotary Wood were not, and are not in vain."

Harrogate Spring Water says the expansion will create more than 30 new jobs for local people with at least 25 jobs during the construction process.

Overall the company says, it will boost Harrogate’s economy to the tune of more than £1.3 million a year.

The firm adds that its business rates, which contribute to the funding of public services, will increase by more than £900,000 a year.

The controversy over the future of Rotary Wood, which was first planted in 2005 by Harrogate Rotary Club with the help of local schoolchildren, has attracted national media attention with celebrities including popular TV presenter Julia Bradbury taking up the fight.