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08
May
Harrogate Spring Water submits new expansion plans
Harrogate Spring Water’s proposed public woodland to compensate for its expansion plans could be a third of the size previously proposed.
The company, which is owned by French multinational Danone, wants to fell about 500 trees at the rear of its site on Harlow Moor Road to expand its bottling plant.
It said in a press release today it had “formally submitted its final expansion proposal to North Yorkshire Council”.
The latest plans suggest planting 491 trees on two acres of land behind its current site.
This is considerably fewer than the 1,500 previously suggested — however, the company said this was to comply with a request from the council’s arboriculturist to give the new woodland the best chance to flourish.
Harrogate Spring Water also said it had increased the number of trees to be planted on other sites around Harrogate from 1,500 to 2,500 “to compensate for the change and ensure the commitments made are still met”.
The company's headquarters on Harlow Moor Road.
The company said 840 trees had already been planted as part of this.
With 500 trees at risk of felling, it means six times as many trees would be planted in the area as lost.
Harrogate Spring Water has also proposed increasing the size of the factory extension by 0.18%, which it said would “align with the minimum parameters outlined in the planning permission”.
Richard Hall, managing director of Harrogate Spring Water, said:
When it comes to tree planting, we have taken expert guidance to ensure we get it right. Following discussions with North Yorkshire Council, we’ve adapted our planting plans on site and within the community woodland to create a better balance of number and mix of trees. This means we’ll still meet our original tree-planting commitment, but in a way that gives the new woodland the best chance to thrive.
Our goal is to leave behind something truly positive – a flourishing public woodland and six times more trees planted than removed. I believe that this is a best-in-class plan to deliver business growth while minimising environmental impact.
More than 1,000 objections
Harrogate Spring Water said it had made the changes “following an additional round of consultations with local community groups, stakeholders and council officials”.
Its plans have yet to be uploaded on the council website but council officers had raised concerns about the number and mix of trees.
The company received outline planning permission to expand in 2017, which means the principle of development has been established.
But it cannot proceed until its current reserved matters application, which deals with appearance, size and landscaping, is approved by the council.
The plans have met determined resistance from campaigners such as Sarah Gibbs.
A previous reserved matters application was rejected in 2021 after a campaign fronted by TV star Julia Bradbury.
That consultation received more than 400 objections. The latest reserved matters application had generated 1,016 objections and 11 expressions of support. Harrogate and Knaresborough Liberal Democrat MP Tom Gordon is among those to have objected.
People will be able to express their views on the latest plans here when they are uploaded.
Following a consultation period, the council will decide whether the scheme can proceed.
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