Environmental campaigners held a demonstration in Valley Gardens at the weekend to raise awareness of the threat to Harrogate’s Rotary Wood.

Harrogate Spring Water, which is owned by French firm Danone, has revived 2017 plans to fell trees in Rotary Woods so it can expand its bottling plant.

The company’s plans would involve removing a smaller area of woodland than it proposed in a failed planning application last year.

But campaigners are still concerned about the loss of trees in part of the Pinewoods that was planted by children in 2005 to help tackle climate change.

Harrogate forest school teacher Sarah Gibbs donned her tree costume to join fellow activists during Saturday’s four-hour gathering, which aimed to tell people about Rotary Wood and the company’s expansion plans. She said:

“This issue has really touched my heart. I’m a born and bred Harrogate girl as well as a teacher and knowing children planted this wood to tackle climate change, to say it’s OK to destroy it would send out a terrible message.

“Surely after lockdown we are more aware of the value of green space to the environment and to mental health.”

Rebecca Maunder, who also took part in the protest, said:

“The aim today is to raise awareness that this is on the agenda again. A lot of people still don’t realise it is.

“Harrogate Spring Water wants to have a consultation with local people so they need to be informed about what’s going on.”

Graham Dixon, who was also present, said:

“The best way to get people to care about what’s happening is to come out and tell them.”

‘Net biodiversity gain’

Harrogate Spring Water has said it wants to achieve “net biodiversity gain” for the site, carry out a compensatory tree planting scheme and will make the remaining part of Rotary Wood more accessible to the public.

It is currently consulting on its plans before submitting a formal reserved matters planning application to Harrogate Borough Council. It says the expansion would create 30 jobs.

Richard Hall, managing director at Harrogate Spring Water, said previously:

“We have a shared interest in driving prosperity for the town and creating a sustainable future for a key business that takes the Harrogate name around the UK and the world, and we hope that this process will allow us to come to a resolution which addresses people’s concerns and the town’s aspirations.”

Few local chief executives face a trickier task in the months ahead than the one confronting the new man in charge of Harrogate Spring Water.

Richard Hall has to convince a sceptical public and councillors that they should support plans to fell trees in the Pinewoods so the company can expand its factory and produce more plastic bottles.

Trees, plastic and a climate crisis are a volatile mix, as shown last year when more than 400 people objected to a larger expansion scheme put forward by the company that was ultimately rejected.

The campaign attracted national media coverage and a high profile champion in TV presenter Julia Bradbury.

Mr Hall hopes the outcome will be different this time and is keen to strike a conciliatory tone as the company prepares to consult on its revised plans before submitting a planning application.

He says:

“Expansion plans can often be challenged by local communities and that’s something that is not unusual per se, but we could have handled it better and we could have consulted better with the local community so there’s definitely a lesson to learn for us.

“We’ve got an opportunity to be much more open. There is an opportunity for people to come and talk to us, look at the plan and give us feedback.”

Richard Hall, at the company’s Harrogate factory.

Mr Hall is also keen to frame the debate in a wider context than trees versus plastic.

“It’s not really a question of how water is packaged — it’s a question of how food and other beverages are packaged. So if we are asked what are we doing to reduce the impact of packaging, I’d be very happy to respond to that because we are doing significant things.”

He mentions several environmental initiatives Harrogate Spring Water supports and says the main issue is recycling rates. Harrogate Spring Water’s bottles are made using 50% recycled plastic and glass and Mr Hall says this would increase if more recycled products were available.

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Water, he says, is “the healthiest beverage” and the company’s national reputation should be a source of local pride, not to mention the fact that expansion would create 30 jobs.

Packaging, he adds, is a separate debate. But he knows the argument will be tough.

“I accept there will be some discussion around it. It’s a hot topic. People are passionate about the climate. I just hope we get a balanced debate.”

New era

Mr Hall’s appointment marks a new era at Harrogate Spring Water, which can produce 36,000 bottles of 500 millilitre water per hour at its factory.

The company was bought two years ago by French multinational Danone but former managing director James Cain, who had been in charge for 15 years, continued to lead the business until Mr Hall arrived. Mr Cain is now a minority shareholder.

The takeover and expansion plans haven’t been the only issues to contend with lately.

Covid hit hard. According to Harrogate Spring Water’s latest annual accounts, gross profit for the year ending March 31, 2020, was £8.3m but crashed to £1.9m for the nine months to December 31, 2020 due to the closure of many places that sell bottled water, such as convenience stores, hotels, airports and train stations.

Mr Hall says business is now “recovering to pre-covid levels”.

Brexit, he says, impacted the company “a little bit” but nowhere near as much as covid. Inflation is a major concern now.

The company has stopped exporting water to Russia since the Ukraine war started but overseas sales account for only a fraction of business.

Last year the business withdrew its sponsorship of Yorkshire County Cricket Club amid the club’s racism row and has not renewed it, but it continues to be the official water of Royal Ascot.

Despite its national reputation, Mr Hall describes Harrogate Spring Water, which employs 78 staff, as a “small, local brand” compared with international brands like Volvic, and he doesn’t see that changing.

“We will look at expansion plans in the UK and Ireland. There’s lots of space to grow.”

Harrogate, he says, should be proud of its spa heritage.

“There are not many towns in the UK that can talk about their spa heritage. Harrogate is the top one. The water you find here is delicious.”

Danone all his life

Mr Hall, a keen runner, joined Danone in Tokyo a month after finishing university in Japan. He has remained with the company since. He is fluent in Japanese, where he lived for 25 years and has a Japanese wife.

As vice-president of Danone’s UK and Ireland business, his remit extends far beyond Harrogate Spring Water’s factory on Harlow Moor Road (pictured below).

Mr Hall lives in Oxford and expects to visit Harrogate twice a month.

His credentials are impeccable, having worked on other Danone water brands Evian and Volvic, as well as Yakult.

Being part of Danone, he says, brings “access to expertise and knowledge” but he constantly stresses the importance of the company retaining the local feel nurtured by the Cains. A new strategic plan is being created.

“The Cain family did a great job in building the brand. I want to look after it and grow it further. We are talking about a premium brand; we are not talking about a mass market brand.”

But how much the company grows will depend largely on whether its planning application to expand by two acres in the Pinewoods is successful.

It plans to revive a 2017 application that was granted outline permission, which means the principle of development is already established but the final details are not.

A banner protest this month.

Having outline permission will make the process easier but little is likely to be straightforward in such emotional terrain. Last year, protestor Sarah Gibbs stood outside the council offices dressed as a tree, and she has been back putting up banners around the town, saying there can be no mitigation for the loss of woodland.

Mr Hall reiterates he welcomes debate and that the company will listen. Would he talk to Julia Bradbury? He looks at his PR adviser who says he can’t see why not.

There is likely to be plenty of talking and listening before councillors decide whether the plant can be extended. Mr Hall will have to call on all his skill, expertise and years of experience if the company is to secure the outcome it wants.

Black Sheep Brewery in Masham has secured a major deal with Leeds-based airline Jet2.com.

Black Sheep Ale will be available in a 330ml can on all the airline’s flights from its 10 UK bases from May 1.

Jet2.com is the UK’s third largest airline.

Black Sheep Ale is one of the brewery’s best loved beers.  It was the first beer to be bottled at Black Sheep and is nationally available in 500ml bottle.

Charlene Lyons, chief executive of Black Sheep Brewery, said:

“We’re incredibly proud of this agreement with Jet2.com to feature Black Sheep Ale on flights to and from the UK, which will introduce one of Yorkshire’s best exports to new audiences.

“This is a great collaboration between two Yorkshire companies that will also offer international visitors to Britain a taste of our wonderful county before they touch down in the UK.”

Managing director at Harrogate Spring Water steps down

After 15 years at the helm, James Cain has announced he will be stepping down as managing director of Harrogate Spring Water.

French firm Danone acquired Harrogate Spring Water two years ago and Mr Cain said “it is now the right time for me to hand over the baton”.

Mr Cain will remain a minority shareholder alongside the rest of the Cain family, he said:

“During my time with Harrogate Spring Water, I have been immensely proud of the brands that we have created as well as the people who have been a part of our journey, helping to build a business and continue a legacy in revitalising the town’s illustrious spa heritage.”

Mr Cain is to be replaced by Richard Hall, who is currently a vice president within Danone’s UK & Ireland business. He will take on the role from May 3.

Richard Hall

Mr Hall said:

“Harrogate Spring Water is a great brand with great heritage and is a very important part of Danone’s UK water business. It will be my privilege to lead the operation as we look to grow further and take the Harrogate Spring Water brand to more venues and consumers in 2022.”

In this article, which is part of a series on the 15 stories in the Harrogate district that shaped 2021, we look at the controversy surrounding Harrogate Spring Water’s expansion plans.

January saw one of the most controversial planning applications in Harrogate for years.

Harrogate Spring Water applied to expand its bottling plant from 0.77 hectares to 0.94 hectares, which would have meant destroying public woodland planted by local families in the area of Pinewoods known as Rotary Wood.

To compensate, the company offered to replant trees, create scrubland and build a pond on private land behind RHS Harlow Carr.

But the idea of felling trees to create more plastic bottles generated anger and triggered a wider debate around how businesses should operate in the age of climate change.

Articles appeared in the national press and there was high-profile intervention from TV presenter Julia Bradbury, who urged the company to think again.

Harrogate Spring Water’s headquarters.

Hundreds of people watched a livestream of Harrogate Borough Council planning committee when it voted on the application on January 26 — considerably more than the usual 20 or 30 viewers for a council meeting.

They heard passionate interjections from councillors and residents opposing the plans, as well as representatives of Harrogate Spring Water saying the expansion was needed to grow a thriving local business and that felled trees would be replaced on a 2-to-1 basis.

Read more:

• Harrogate Spring Water to submit fresh plan for Pinewoods bottling plant
• Harrogate Spring Water blames pandemic as profits fall sharply

‘Not just any wood’

Sam Gibbs, the Conservative councillor for Valley Gardens, called Rotary Wood “not just any wood” and said he had spoken to many local residents who were “confused, upset, or angry” about the application.

Neil Hind, chair of Pinewoods Conservation Group, a charity that preserves the Pinewoods, said the “world has changed” since covid, which “has shown the importance of our green spaces”.

In the end, eight councillors on the council’s 12-person planning committee voted to refuse the plans, and four abstained.

After the meeting, Conservative councillor Jim Clark said he hoped the debate around the bottling plant had shown that local issues can be “at the forefront of climate change”.

What happened next?

Campaigners, such as Harrogate woman Sarah Gibbs, who had dressed as a tree outside the council offices each week to protest against the plans, were jubilant. But the vote wasn’t the end of the matter.

Harrogate Spring Water signalled its intention to submit fresh expansion plans.

James Cain, managing director, said in July.

“Our vision is to create a sustainable future for our business as one that supports high quality jobs, drives prosperity in the town and looks after nature.”

The company already has outline permission dating back to 2016 to expand its bottling plant, but the company said it was working on a completely new application and the old application would be disregarded.

But several months on, no new planning application has been submitted.

Organisations such as Pinewoods Conservation Group and the Rotary Club, which planted the trees in Rotary Wood, are still awaiting Harrogate Spring Water’s next move.

A spokesperson for Harrogate Spring Water said:

“Harrogate Spring Water is still in the process of talking to all relevant parties. We will communicate any update as and when it happens.”

In July, Harrogate Spring Water promised to publish “within weeks” details of a new planning application to expand its bottling plant in the Pinewoods. But as the end of the year approaches, it looks no nearer to being made public.

The company’s pledge followed January’s high-profile refusal to expand the plant, which would have meant destroying public woodland planted by local families in the area of Pinewoods known as Rotary Wood.

To compensate, Harrogate Spring Water offered to replant trees, create scrubland and build a pond on private land behind Harlow Carr Gardens.

But the loss of trees at Rotary Wood provoked a major backlash and councillors on Harrogate Borough Council‘s planning committee voted overwhelmingly to reject it.

Harrogate Spring Water already has outline permission dating back to 2016 to expand its bottling plant, but the company said in July it was working on a completely new application and the old application would be disregarded.

Read More: 

• Harrogate Spring Water to submit fresh plan for Pinewoods bottling plant
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The company pledged to consult with the community before pursuing a formal planning application to the council.

However, the Stray Ferret has been told that no meaningful talks with community groups have taken place since January’s refusal.

Groups that are still in the dark about what the new application will look like include the Rotary Club, which planted the trees in Rotary Wood, and Pinewoods Conservation Group, a charity that works to preserve the Pinewoods.

A spokesperson for Harrogate Spring Water said:

“Harrogate Spring Water is still in the process of talking to all relevant parties. We will communicate any update as and when it happens.”

Harrogate Spring Water has reported a sharp fall in profits, blaming a decline in bottled drinking water in hotels, restaurants and on aircraft due to covid.

The company, which was bought by French multinational Danone in June last year, has published its latest annual financial report, which covers the nine months to December 31 2020.

Sales revenue decreased from £26.2m in the 12-month period ending March 31 2020 to £10.4m in the nine-month period ending December 31 2020.

Profit declined over the same period from £8.3m to £1.9m. After tax, the company made a £1.8m loss.

The number of staff fell from 83 to 80.

The report also lists current risks to profitability that includes the impact of Brexit which it says has resulted in “greater economic uncertainty”.

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Harrogate Spring Water marketing manager Nicky Cain told the Stray Ferret she expected to see improved results for 2021.

“We were one of the most hardest hit by the pandemic and people no longer being on the move.

“We are now seeing encouraging bounce-back with trade over the summer now back to pre-pandemic levels.

“During this massively challenging period, we’ve continued to support those sectors hardest hit. We have worked with the hospitality industry through supporting the Drinks Trust, and have supported the arts sector through our activation with The Royal Albert Hall and running our limited edition label competition.

“It’s also important to recognise that throughout this tough period we have continued to ringfence our guaranteed donation through our ethical water brand Thirsty Planet, to the charity Pump Aid, who have continued to deliver clean water projects in sub-Saharan Africa.”

Parent company Danone also experienced a fall in revenue and profits, which it blamed on the pandemic, in 2020.

The company, which also owns Actimel, Alpro and Evian, saw revenue fall from £25.3bn in 2019 to £23.6bn.

The Pinewoods expansion

Meanwhile, Harrogate Spring Water is preparing to submit a new planning application to expand its bottling plant in the Pinewoods.

The company was granted outline planning permission to expand to the west of its existing site in 2016, which meant the principle of development had been established but the details had not been agreed.

The reserved matters application provoked a major backlash due to the loss of trees at Rotary Wood. In January this year, councillors on the planning committee voted overwhelmingly to reject it— against the wishes of council officers who had recommended approval.

The company said in July it was working on a completely new application and the 2016 application would be disregarded.

It has pledged to consult with the community before pursuing a formal planning application to the council.

Harrogate Spring Water is preparing to submit a new planning application to expand its bottling plant in the Pinewoods.

The company issued a statement today saying it will not appeal Harrogate Borough Council’s decision in January to refuse its expansion — but instead it will publish details of a new expansion plan “in the coming weeks”.

Harrogate Spring Water, which is owned by the French multi-national Danone, had applied to expand its bottling plant from 0.77 hectares to 0.94 hectares, which would have meant destroying public woodland planted by local families in the area of Pinewoods known as Rotary Wood.

To compensate, it offered to replant trees, create scrubland and build a pond on private land behind Harlow Carr Gardens.

The loss of trees at Rotary Wood provoked a major backlash and councillors on the planning committee voted overwhelmingly to reject it — against the wishes of council officers who had recommended approval.

Harrogate Spring Water was granted outline planning permission to expand to the west of its existing site in 2016, which meant the principle of development had been established but the details had not been agreed.

However, the company said today it was working on a completely new application and the 2016 application would be disregarded.

It has pledged to consult with the community before pursuing a formal planning application to the council.

James Cain, managing director of Harrogate Spring Water, said:

“We care passionately about acting in the best interests of Harrogate, its people and its natural environment. And that’s why we listen to the community.

“Our vision is to create a sustainable future for our business as one that supports high quality jobs, drives prosperity in the town and looks after nature.

“We’ve taken on board the feedback on our original expansion plans. Now we’ll continue to engage with the community – actively seeking views on a revised plan that responds to people’s concerns and ambitions.

“We’ll also be clear in explaining our rationale, and why we believe this move is important from an environmental and economic perspective.

“We’ll provide a further update in the coming weeks.”

Read more:

• Harrogate Spring Water’s Pinewoods expansion refused

• How Harrogate Borough Council benefits from Harrogate Spring Water plant

Rotary Wood fears remain

A spokesperson for the Pinewoods Conservation Group, a charity that aims to protect the Pinewoods, said it would review any new plans “carefully and continue to engage” with Danone.

They added:

“We are also pleased to see that the feedback provided by ourselves and other groups will be taken onboard.

“However, any plans that result in the loss of any part of Rotary Wood that is part of a designated asset of community value under the Localism Act will continue to be difficult for our members to support.

“A key challenging factor that is likely to remain will be the offer of suitable publicly accessible land as mitigation for any loss of public green space that was much lacking in previous proposals.”

Writing on Harrogate and Knaresborough Conservative MP Andrew Jones’ website Community News, Sam Gibbs, the Conservative councillor for Harrogate Valley Gardens, said:

“I am pleased that Harrogate Spring Water will not be appealing the decision to refuse a further extension. I hope that provides some reassurance to residents who were concerned about the loss of public access to the Rotary Woods.”

Pinewoods Conservation Group is rallying support once again to prevent Harrogate Spring Water from expanding its bottling plant into Rotary Wood.

The water company, which is now owned by multinational firm Danone, was granted outline planning permission in 2017 to expand into Rotary Wood in the Pinewoods.

Danone recently bid to vary the terms of this by increasing the size of the bottling plant into the woodlands. Harrogate’s planning committee rejected this in January after almost 400 people objected.

Many objectors were jubilant at the outcome but the original outline permission in 2017 still applies.

Pinewoods Conservation Group now suspects it will be brought back to the council’s planning committee before May and warns that, if approved, will result in “massive ecological loss”.

Although it has outline permission, Danone would need to go through a second stage of the application process, known as reserved matters, to ratify details such as the appearance of the bottling plant and the felling of trees in Rotary Wood.

Read more:

• Pinewoods tree protestor to resume vigil
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A document prepared on behalf of Danone last year said the reserved matters application “is committed to retaining where possible as many trees on-site and relocating others”.

It adds that additional trees will be planted within Rotary Wood to replace those that would be lost.

A spokesman for Pinewoods Conservation Group, however, described the application as a “massive backwards step” from the one that was refused in January. He added:

“There is no offer of any compensatory land. That is a massive backwards step from the previous rejected application.

“If approved, this would result in a massive ecological loss for Harrogate and the Pinewoods. As such we are encouraging our members and supporters to formally object to this application as soon as possible.”

Harrogate Spring Water declined to comment.

More eyes than usual will be on Harrogate Borough Council’s planning committee today when it considers controversial plans to expand a bottling plant in the Pinewoods.

Local planning applications rarely attract celebrity campaigners and national media attention — but Harrogate Spring Water’s proposals to destroy a section of woodland planted by local schoolchildren in 2005 has struck a nerve beyond the HG postcode.

The issue has received 372 objections and 29 in support. The cause has also found a high profile champion in former Countryfile presenter Julia Bradbury.

Many of the complaints relate to the increase of single-use plastic bottles but a council report, which recommends deferring and approving the application, says plastic is “not a reason to refuse the application” because it is regulated by specific legislation not connected to the planning system.

Tree loss

Trees are at the crux of the matter. Harrogate Spring Water has proposed to compensate for the loss of trees in the area of Pinewoods known as Rotary Wood by planting new trees on fields behind Harlow Carr Gardens, off Crag Lane.

However, environmental groups that have been deadlocked in talks with Harrogate Spring Water and its French parent company Danone, do not feel what is being offered adequately makes up for the loss of biodiversity and public access.

Harrogate Spring Water concedes that unlike Rotary Wood, the private land near Crag Lane will be inaccessible for dog walkers and hikers.

Read more:

• TV presenter criticises Harrogate Spring Water’s Pinewoods plans

• How Harrogate Borough Council benefits from Harrogate Spring Water plant

• Costly appeal could await council if Harrogate Spring Water plans refused

When The Stray Ferret spoke to Rob Pickering, marketing manager for Harrogate Spring Water, he was adamant the company would not explore other sites that could be used by the public.

The proposed replanting site is in blue, and is behind Harlow Carr Gardens. The bottling plant extension is in red.

Mr Pickering said the replanting, as well as other proposals, which include building a new lake, would result in a “biodiversity net gain” for the area.

However, the climate benefits have been disputed by Piers Forster, a professor of climate physics at the University of Leeds who lives in Harrogate.

Over the weekend he published a co-authored report that says about five times more new woodland than is currently being offered is needed to properly compensate for the loss of trees in Rotary Wood.

Professor Forster went further in a letter to Harrogate Borough Council planning officer Mark Williams, saying that to pass the plans in their current form would lead to “reputational damage” for the council, especially in light of the the local authority’s carbon reduction strategy, which aims to achieve net-zero emissions on council property by 2038.

Many other groups have had their say on the application in recent days, including the Harrogate District Climate Change Coalition, set up by the council in 2019 to address the climate emergency.

The group issued a “neutral” statement on the proposals, whilst highlighting the importance of trees in mitigating climate change locally.

Harrogate District Climate Action Network (HDCAN), a separate group of 4,000 people which includes members from Extinction Rebellion Harrogate and Harrogate Friends of the Earth, wrote to councillors this week calling on them to reject the plans.

Follow the Stray Ferret on Twitter as we will be live-tweeting during the planning committee which starts at 2pm.