Harrogate Spring Water expansion 'poised to inject £17m annually into northern economy'

As the Danone-owned premium bottled water brand awaits a final decision from councillors at North Yorkshire Council over its reserved matters application, it is seeking to take the front foot by outlining what it argues are the strong economic benefits of the controversial expansion project.

Harrogate Spring Water has previously defended the scheme, which would see the loss of trees at Rotary Wood near the Pinewoods, on environmental grounds, saying the end result of the plans would mean more trees in total.

Now it is setting out its local economic case, should the expansion plans be given the full go-ahead after nine long years.

With the wider economy under pressure, the plans highlight the role of local manufacturing investment in strengthening Yorkshire’s supply chain and business community.

This includes the following:

Around half of its core product and packaging material suppliers are based within 50 miles of its Harrogate site.

Spend with Leeds-based suppliers could rise by 89% to over £16m annually.

Packaging suppliers could see combined spend nearly double.

Increased demand is also expected for operational services, including local recruitment, cleaning and professional services, supporting jobs and growth across the region.

Ian Swann, Operations Director at Harrogate Spring Water said: “Harrogate Spring Water has a long history of working with suppliers based here in Yorkshire and across the North.

"The vast majority of what we use every day is already sourced regionally and our expansion plans would increase demand across our supply chain as part of normal operations, keeping more value in the local economy.

"The projected impacts of our expansion proposals are based on Harrogate Spring Water’s current supply chain and highlight how increased production capacity would subsequently increase total spend on regional suppliers.”

Beyond raw materials, the firm says expansion would generate additional demand across a wide range of operational services that support the site’s day-to-day running.

The benefits would also extend into professional and creative services, including office supplies, design and artwork, site maintenance and training.

Jonny McPartland, Managing Consultant at Wetherby-based Marmion Recruitment said: “We’ve worked alongside Harrogate Spring Water since 2023, and we’ve seen first-hand how committed they are to recruiting and developing local talent.

"We’ve supported the business across a range of roles, and seniorities, from production operatives to administrators to engineering managers, and each role has been filled by people living in Harrogate and the surrounding areas.

“What stands out most is that these are permanent positions offering stability, development, and long-term career progression opportunities in the Harrogate area.

"I believe Harrogate Spring Water’s proposed expansion would have a positive local impact creating further high-quality employment while strengthening the local supply chain and business community.

"As a privately owned local business, Marmion is proud to support Harrogate Spring Water with their continued sustainable growth.”

In 2020, Harrogate Spring Water became the first company in North Yorkshire to achieve B Corp accreditation, achieving the highest environmental and social standards.

Its plastic (PET) and glass bottles, including the caps and labels, are 100% recyclable.

The expansion plans would see around 500 trees in Rotary Wood removed, though the firm plans to replace them with approximately 3,000 new trees in the area.