A campaigner has accused Harrogate Spring Water of “greenwashing” over its latest plans to expand its plastic bottled water plant over a community woodland.

Sarah Gibbs, who has staged several protests dressed as a tree, said she had seen “no evidence” from the company on how it will manage the environmental impacts of the proposed expansion at Rotary Wood, which was planted by children 17 years ago.

Her comments come as Harrogate’s Green Party, Extinction Rebellion and other campaign groups are set to protest against the plans today.

Harrogate Spring Water, which is owned by French firm Danone, recently held a public consultation and is now “finalising” its proposals after a larger expansion was refused by Harrogate Borough Council last year.

Ms Gibbs said she took part in a recent consultation event, but added she was left with more questions than answers. She told the Local Democracy Reporting Service:

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• Harrogate Spring Water ‘finalising’ latest expansion plans

When the larger expansion plans were refused in January 2021, the council was accused of putting “profit and plastic before the environment” as the authority recommended approval.

This sparked a huge backlash by the community, and the plans were later rejected by members of the council’s planning committee who said they could not support the recommendation as approval would have been “damaging” for Harrogate’s image.

Harrogate Spring Water then announced it would revert back to original plans for a smaller expansion, although questions remain over how much of Rotary Wood could be felled as the final designs have yet to be revealed.

Ms Gibbs, who will hold a protest walk from Harrogate Convention Centre to Rotary Wood on Sunday, said she was against the expansion altogether as the woodland needed to be protected because of its “great importance” to biodiversity and the community.

She said: