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07
Oct 2024
Extinction Rebellion protests in Harrogate
Extinction Rebellion staged a demonstration yesterday against Harrogate Spring Water’s plans to expand into the Pinewoods.
Protestors dressed in red met in Harrogate town centre and walked through Valley Gardens and then on to Rotary Wood.
Harrogate Spring Water wants to fell about 450 trees planted in Rotary Wood during the 1990s by schoolchildren to climate combat change, in order to expand its bottling plant.
The wood, which is part of the Pinewoods, is situated alongside the company’s headquarters on Harlow Moor Road.
The activists called themselves the red rebels and said the colour symbolised the common blood all species share.
They carried banners and handed out leaflets to raise awareness of the long-running planning saga, which has yet to be determined by North Yorkshire Council.
Harrogate Spring Water, which is owned by French multinational Danone, already has outline planning permission for the expansion, which means the principle of development has been established.
But it still requires its reserved matters application, which outlines the details of the scheme, to also be approved before it can proceed.
The Stray Ferret has followed the issue closely since we were founded more than four years ago.
A campaign led by TV star Julia Bradbury saw previous plans rejected by Harrogate Borough Council in 2021.
Harrogate Spring Water has since formulated plans to create a two-acre community woodland to mitigate for the loss of trees and plant more trees elsewhere around Harrogate.
A spokesperson said:
Our tree replacement programme will result in more trees being planted than will be removed and will be guided by expert advice to ensure the woodland will flourish.
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