The woman behind a campaign to stop Harrogate Spring Water’s expansion into Rotary Wood has launched a crowdfunder to raise money for site surveys, monitoring equipment and printing flyers.

The Danone-owned water company has lodged plans with North Yorkshire Council to expand its bottling plant on Harlow Moor Road.

The planning application is expected to be considered by Harrogate and Knaresborough councillors this year.

The firm says a bigger factory will mean it can create 50 new jobs and boost economic output by around £2.3m a year to £6.2m a year.

But Sarah Gibbs, who regularly wears a tree costume to highlight her opposition to the plans, argues the company will destroy a “well-used and well-loved” woodland that is enjoyed by the local community.

Rotary Wood is part of the Pinewoods and was planted by schoolchildren in the 2000s. Ms Gibbs’ GoFundMe crowdfunder has a goal of £3,000 and is currently at £200. You can read more about it  here.

Ms Gibbs said:

Harrogate Spring Water secured outline planning permission for the scheme in 2017, which remains valid, but the reserved matters stage deals with its appearance, size and crucially — trees.

Around 450 trees planted by local schoolchildren in an area of the Pinewoods called Rotary Wood would be chopped down to make way for the expansion.

This led to a previous reserved matters application being refused by the council in 2021 amid widespread public opposition and negative attention in the national press.

This time, the company hopes to win over critics in a new reserved matters application by planting an additional 1,200 trees on two acres of land next to Rotary Wood and to the rear of the existing Harrogate Spring Water HQ.

Richard Hall, managing director at Harrogate Spring Water, said he hopes the new woodland will become a “valued resource” for the local community for years to come.

Read more:

• Harrogate Spring Water denies claims it could expand again 


• Council asked to reconsider Fountains Earth school closure