Dame Judi Dench delivers' 'environmental vandalism' line to put Harrogate Spring Water's plans in the firing line

The Oscar-winning actor and national treasure was speaking ahead of a planning meeting at Harrogate Civic Centre earlier this week, calling the plans to cut down Rotary Wood “environmental vandalism”.

The actor, who named a seedling from Sycamore Gap after the son of Roman Emperor Hadrian, and has always loved trees, issued the following statement in support of the campaign against the plans.

“To destroy Rotary Wood for corporate expansion would be an act of environmental vandalism,” she said.

"It would erase a thriving habitat planted by children and nurtured by a community that believed in protecting our future.”

Tuesday’s meeting has been labelled the final showdown after seven years of protests and revisions to the premium water brand's plans to expand its operations at Harlow Hill while planting new trees to mitigate the environmental impact.

In the event, as protesters made their voices heard outside and, sometimes, inside Harrogate Civic Centre, councillors were divided on what the best course of action was and a decision was deferred for more progress on the plans’ environmental impact.

More than 100 members of the public gathered outside the council offices to defend Rotary Wood with banners flying, a brass band playing and Extinction Rebellion’s Red Rebels moving silently among the crowd, and “human trees” standing tall for nature.

Inside the meeting, there was laughter in the gallery when the MD of Harrogate Spring Water described his company as a “nice local business”, although the company is owned by global giant Danone, whose public affairs team issued most pre-meeting press statements.

Conservative Coun John Mann repeatedly claimed his “hands were tied,” insisting there were no sufficient grounds for refusal, while Lib Dem Coun Peter Lacey and the meeting’s chair, Lib Dem Coun Chris Aldred, were also minded to approve.

But Lib Dems Coun Philip Broadbent and Coun Matt Walker strongly refused to back down, arguing it failed to protect biodiversity and offered no real guarantees for the environment or community benefit.

The Council’s own lawyer rejected claims that the application was unlawful.

Independent Coun Mike Schofield, spoke for local residents, and presented a detailed argument for more information about the Section 106 agreement, which was a key reason that the development was deferred and not approved.

He said: “With so much missing information and no guarantees, the committee had no idea what it was being asked to agree to. We need to be sure what the community are actually getting, and that nature will be protected.”

Green Coun Arnold Warneken spoke powerfully, arguing that trees protect against flooding and climate change, and asking why there was no environmental screening.

All four Green councillors at North Yorkshire Council have been with this campaign since it began back in 2016.

Coun Warneken said: "This Council is facing a climate emergency.

"We should be planting trees, not chopping them down.

"They’re locking away 20 years of carbon, protecting us from heat and flooding.

"Failing to supply full mitigation details for the woodland that was planted by this community, a whopping eight years after being asked for them, is just disrespectful and irresponsible.

"It should have been thrown out, but it’s been deferred.

"Is this a good use of taxpayer’s money? I don’t think so.”

After the meeting, Sarah Gibbs of Save Rotary Wood, visibly emotional after seven years of relentless campaigning, said:

“Though this isn’t the outcome we wanted, it’s another chance to grow our community of resistance and keep holding the Council to account. There’s no ‘win-win’ here — the only real win for Harrogate is for Danone to develop elsewhere.”

A spokesperson for the Pinewoods Conservation Group welcomed the deferral:

“The community has been clear: development must not come at the expense of Harrogate’s green spaces and biodiversity.

"We hope the Council uses this delay to demand full transparency and compliance before any decision is made.

"We thank everyone who has stood up for Rotary Wood and will advise on next steps soon.”