Harrogate Spring Water to appeal bottling plant refusal

Opponents of the expansion of the factory in Harlow Moor Road, Harrogate, say they will raise funds to contest the appeal.

Harrogate Spring Water announced today that it would appeal against the planning committee’s decision to reject the scheme, which had been recommended for approval by council planning officers.

Councillors gave two reasons for refusal – that the proposed landscaping would not adequately compensate for the loss of existing trees and that the appearance of the extension lacked ‘local distinctiveness’.

However, the company believes neither reason justified departing from the professional recommendation to five the go-ahead for the development, which had already been granted outline planning permission.

Richard Hall, managing director of Harrogate Spring Water, said: “We have designed our plans extremely carefully over a number of years and have consulted both with the community and with local planning officials to ensure they are compliant, which officers recognised when they recommended the plans for approval.

“We do not agree with the committee’s decision and so our next step is to appeal.”

An artist's impression of the expanded Harrogate Spring Water plant. (Image: Harrogate Spring Water)

The company says considerable work has gone into reducing and compensating for the environmental impact of the development.

Its plans include creating a new publicly accessible two-acre woodland next to Rotary Wood on land secured for the community by the company.

It has also pledged to plant six times as many trees as would be lost and says its landscaping scheme was designed in consultation with council ecological experts.

The proposals would also deliver what the company says would be a ten per cent net gain in biodiversity.

Mr Hall said: “We have done everything we can to understand genuine local community concerns, mitigate environmental impact and invest for sustainable development in the future, benefitting the local economy of Harrogate.

“Our appeal has a strong legal basis and our plans meet all the technical requirements.

“They will also have significant benefits for the town and I will ensure that our expansion is managed in a sympathetic, sustainable way.”

Harrogate Spring Water also argues the development is important for the future of the business and would have wider benefits for the local economy.

An artist's impression of the expanded Harrogate Spring Water plant. (Image: Harrogate Spring Water)

Around half of its core product and packaging suppliers are based within 50 miles of Harrogate and the company says expanding production would increase its spending with businesses across Yorkshire and the wider North.

It expects spending with recruitment providers to triple as a result of the expansion, while expenditure on locally sourced cleaning services is projected to double.

The business says other local firms providing services including design, maintenance, training and office supplies would also benefit.

It has previously said the expansion would create more than 50 jobs and provide an estimated £2.3m annual boost to the local economy.

But the decision to appeal has prompted a defiant response from campaigners.

Neil Hind, chair of Pinewoods Conservation Group, urged the company to reconsider.

He said: “We will also need to raise further funds to help defend Rotary Wood through the appeal, and would welcome support from anyone who wants to protect this much-loved community woodland.”

Sarah Gibbs, spokesperson for the Save Rotary Wood campaign group, said members would fight the appeal.

“We are exploring all our options, including a call for major donors to raise a big war chest to fight the appeal.

“It’s shameful that we have to spend money on this, but what precedent will it set if we let this go through?”

Harrogate and Knaresborough MP Tom Gordon added: “I will be making the case to the Planning Inspectorate that the committee’s decision should stand, and I'll keep working alongside Save Rotary Wood, Pinewoods Conservation Group and local residents until Rotary Wood is safeguarded for future generations.”

Green Party councillor for Harlow and St Georges Mike Schofield said: “It’s all take with Harrogate Spring Water.

“They want to take the trees that people enjoy, and plant them elsewhere. It's a stretch to call that compensation.”

Harrogate Spring Water says independent polling shows a majority of people in Harrogate support the sustainable growth of the business, although details of that polling were not included in its announcement.

The company intends to formally lodge its appeal in the coming days, with a decision expected in 2027.

The Local Democracy Reporting Service has contacted North Yorkshire Council for comment.