Harrogate District Climate Change Coalition issues 'neutral statement' on Harrogate Spring Water's expansion plans

Harrogate Spring Water 'pleased' by planners' backing for its expansion plans

Harrogate District Climate Change Coalition, which was set up in response to Harrogate Borough Council’s 2019 notice of motion supporting measures to address the climate emergency, said its brief does not allow it to comment on individual planning applications.

But, with just more than 24 hours until the planning committee of Harrogate Borough Council meets to vote on Harrogate Spring Water's revised plans to build a bigger bottling plant at Rotary Wood at the Pinewoods, HDCCC's Chair of Communications and Engagement for the Coalition, Kirsty Hallett said it was able to provide an illustration of the vital role of local woodlands as they relate to carbon emissions.

Kirsty Hallett said: “The Coalition is not currently mandated to take a position on individual planning applications but has submitted a neutral statement in response to the Rotary Wood planning application which provides an illustration of the vital role of local woodlands as they relate to carbon emissions.”

In the past HDCCC has said that increased woodland cover in Harrogate District was a necessary part of the route to net zero CO2 emissions because trees capture atmospheric carbon.

Planting new woodlands in partnership with the White Rose Forest is a live Harrogate Borough Council work area, which feeds into the Coalition’s action plan.

Kirsty Hallett pointed out that Harrogate Borough Council’s Tree and Woodland Policy 2016-2021 2 confirms the importance of trees for the mitigation of climate change.

For example, paragraph 3.4:

“To facilitate an increasing tree population within the Harrogate district, in order to reduce atmospheric carbon via capture and storage (sequestration) and mitigate climate change locally.” Iron Gates Wood, adjacent to Rotary Wood, was planted in order to offset (or compensate for) the unavoidable emissions from Harrogate International Conference Centre.

Mature trees sequester more carbon than younger plants. The amount varies with the trees, soil and planting space 3.

Figures calculated using the UK Government approved Woodland Carbon Code show that “by the end of 2020 Rotary wood had already sequestered more than 237 tonnes of CO2.

By 2027 the growing trees will have sequestered over 362 tonnes of CO2. By 2038, the more mature wood will have sequestered over 620 tonnes of CO2” 4 .

Compensation planting of 5.2ha in addition to the proposed 1.05ha would need to be planted in the season of 2021/22 in order to provide the same carbon capture benefit of the existing Rotary Wood by 2038 4.

Harrogate District Climate Change Coalition, was formed in 2019 from a group of businesses, public sector organisations and voluntary groups to promote and implement carbon reduction activities throughout the Harrogate district

To find out more about the work of Harrogate District Climate Change Coalition, visit www.hdccc.info.

Decision time for Harrogate Spring Water’s divisive expansion plans at Rotary Wood

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