This website uses cookies to improve your experience. We'll assume you're ok with this, but you can opt-out if you wish. Cookie settingsACCEPT
Privacy & Cookies Policy

Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these cookies, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities...
Necessary
Always Enabled
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.
Non-necessary
Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website.
SAVE & ACCEPT
    • Politics
    • Transport
    • Lifestyle
    • Community
    • Business
    • Crime
    • Environment
    • Health
    • Education
    • Sport
    • Harrogate
    • Ripon
    • Knaresborough
    • Boroughbridge
    • Pateley Bridge
    • Masham
  • What's On
  • Offers
  • Newsletter
  • Podcasts

Interested in advertising with us?

Advertise with us

  • News & Features
  • Your Area
  • What's On
  • Offers
  • Newsletter
  • Podcasts
  • Politics
  • Transport
  • Lifestyle
  • Community
  • Business
  • Crime
  • Environment
  • Health
  • Education
  • Sport
Advertise with us
Subscribe
  • Home
  • Latest News

We want to hear from you

Tell us your opinions and views on what we cover

Contact us

Register for our newsletter

Free Newsletter Sign Up

Join now
Connect with us
  • About us
  • Correction and complaints
Download on App StoreDownload on Google Play Store
  • Website Terms & Conditions
  • Subscription Terms & Conditions
  • Privacy Statement
  • Comments Participation T&Cs
Trust In Journalism

Copyright © 2020 The Stray Ferret Ltd, All Rights Reserved

Site by Show + Tell

Subscribe to trusted local news

In a time of both misinformation and too much information, quality journalism is more crucial than ever. By subscribing, you can help us get the story right.

  • Subscription costs less than £1 a week with an annual plan.

Already a subscriber? Log in here.

01

Oct

Last Updated: 01/10/2025
Environment
Environment

Decision finally looms on Harrogate Spring Water’s ‘highly contentious’ expansion

by John Plummer

| 01 Oct, 2025
Comment

0

screenshot-2024-11-10-at-08-02-54
How the expanded factory would look.

A decision on whether to allow Harrogate Spring Water to expand its bottling factory in the Pinewoods looks set to be made this month.

The company, which is part of French multinational Danone, has said the scheme will create 50 jobs and boost the local economy.

But the destruction of about 500 trees at the back of its factory on Harlow Moor Road to facilitate the expansion has attracted considerable opposition.

Harrogate Spring Water has proposed creating a nearby community woodland to compensate for the loss of trees, which were planted by schoolchildren concerned about climate change in a section of the Pinewoods known as Rotary Wood.

But the application has received 1,066 objections and just 11 expressions of support. Harrogate and Knaresborough Liberal Democrat MP Tom Gordon is among the objectors.

Who decides?

North Yorkshire Council’s Harrogate and Knaresborough area planning committee, which is comprised of seven elected councillors, will decide whether to accept the plans.

However, a council officer will publish a report in advance recommending whether the councillors should approve or reject the application based on planning grounds.

image-9-5-2

Trees in Rotary Wood in the Pinewoods would be felled.

If the council officer recommends approval, and the councillors go against this, it could trigger an appeal by Harrogate Spring Water that could saddle the council with legal costs.

A council officer has written to councillors suggesting dates for the planning committee meeting.

The email, seen by the Stray Ferret, says:

We are reaching the point where we should be able to report the HSW reserved matters application to the Harrogate and Knaresborough area planning committee.

It has been long agreed that as the item is highly contentious that it will be the sole item on any agenda and as we are expecting to take other items to the scheduled meeting on the 28 October we are therefore looking toward the possibility of having an additional bespoke meeting for the case.

The email says the meeting could be held in Harrogate on the morning of Tuesday, October 21. However, that would clash with a council executive meeting, which would take precedence on the council’s livestream. Not broadcasting the meeting could enrage campaigners.

Other possible dates include October 20, 22 and 24. A decision has yet to be made.

microsoftteams-image-56-2

Harrogate Spring Water's headquarters on Harlow Moor Road.

An eight-year saga

The now-defunct Harrogate Borough Council granted Harrogate Spring Water outline planning permission in 2017.

This means the principle of the development has been established, but the company cannot press ahead with the expansion until the reserved matters application – the one that is yet to be decided on – has been approved by North Yorkshire Council.

The reserved matters application concerns the appearance, size and landscaping of the development.

A previous reserved matters application was rejected in 2021 following a campaign fronted by TV star Julia Bradbury.

Star1,000th objection to Harrogate Spring Water expansion plansStarRevealed: How much Harrogate Spring Water is paying for roadworks — and where they will appear nextStarLawyers to review Harrogate Spring Water expansion plans