‘Tree lady’ revives Harrogate Spring Water fighting fund

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The woman at the forefront of the campaign to stop Harrogate Spring Water felling 500 trees in the Pinewoods has revived a fighting fund as a legal battle looms.

Harrogate Spring Water announced this week it will appeal North Yorkshire Council’s decision to reject its expansion plans.

The company, part of French multinational Danone, wants to remove the trees to create space to extend its factory on Harlow Moor Road.

It says the move will create 50 jobs and inject £2.3 million into the local economy each year, and has pledged to plant 3,000 trees elsewhere to compensate.

But the potential loss of trees planted by children to combat climate change in a section of the Pinewoods known as Rotary Wood, to make way for more plastic bottles, has provoked a strong backlash.

Following this week’s news that the case will go the government’s Planning Inspectorate, Save Rotary Wood campaigner Sarah Gibbs urged supporters to contribute to legal fees.

She said:

The gofundmepage, which you can visit here, has raised just over £4,000 of its £20,000 target so far.