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Oct
Decision finally looms on Harrogate Spring Water’s ‘highly contentious’ expansion
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.
Part of the Pinewoods, Rotary Wood was planted 20 years ago by local schoolchildren.
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.
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.
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