Decision day for Harrogate Spring Water expansion plans

The company's putting their proposal to the council today for the final time

Author: Natalie Higgins & Jacob Webster, Local Democracy ReporterPublished 26th Jan 2021
Last updated 26th Jan 2021

Controversial plans to expand a bottling plant into community woodland could be approved by Harrogate Borough Council today.

The Council's Planning Committee are meeting this afternoon (Tuesday 26 January 2021) to decide whether to approve Harrogate Spring Water's plans to expand into the Pinewoods.

Harrogate Spring Water was granted outline planning permission to expand its bottling site adjacent to Rotary Wood in 2017 – a decision that was strongly opposed by a number of local conservation groups.

But just two years later, the company revised their application and submitted a plan that was 40 per cent larger than the original.

Campaigners, company bosses and council officers have been locked in talks to try to reach agreements over the plans which have now been recommended for approval at the meeting today.

Harrogate Greens have been against the proposed expansion - most recently protesting outside Harrogate Borough Council.

Campaigners delivered local residents' messages calling on the Council's planning committee to refuse the larger extension.

Hannah Corlett, Social Media for Harrogate Green Party, said:

"One of the main contributors to plastic pollution is plastic bottles and an expansion of a water bottling plant is just something we can't be in support of in this day and age.

"So many people who weren't even aware of the expansion use it every day for walking their dog or going for a run. At a time where we're being encouraged to get out and enjoy our green spaces because we can't travel far from our local area it's a necessary asset.

"School children planted the trees which are set to be ripped down. If you plant something as a young child you expect it to stay there. We're supposed to be encouraging children to leave positive things for future generations and we shouldn't just rip them to make way for something that's going to create pollution.

"It was planted by the community and for the community and to take a community woodland and destroy it to expand a polluting business, there's no way that it can sit right with anyone."

Harrogate Spring Water – which was last year taken over by the French food company Danone – have offered to replant the trees lost on another site in the town, however, green groups have argued this would not go far enough to compensate for the loss of existing woodland.

Harrogate Borough Council’s planning department said it was recommending the plans for approval because the economic benefits of the proposed development would outweigh the negative impacts.

“There are significant economic benefits of the proposed development, including job creation, other financial benefits to the district and the enhancement of the Harrogate brand,” officers said in a report.

They added: “It is acknowledged that the proposed development would result in an additional loss of trees and would harm the landscape.

“However, subject to securing the compensation site via a legal agreement, it is considered that there would be no net loss of biodiversity or trees.”

Rob Pickering, a senior spokesperson for Harrogate Spring Water, said the company was “pleased” with the council’s reccomendation for approval.

He said: “We’d like to reassure the local community that the plan for Rotary Wood places a huge focus on supporting the local environment and promoting biodiversity.

“Our plans include a commitment to replacing the trees on a two for one basis and a long term plan to ensure they are looked after and protected. And for the area of Rotary Woods that will remain as woodland, we will be investing to enhance its accessibility and usability for the community.

“We are and will continue to be good considerate neighbours within Harrogate.”

The proposal will be seen over by Harrogate Borough Council at 2pm today.

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