Pinewoods Conservation Group takes public stance against Harrogate firm's expansion
A respected Harrogate conservation charity has lodged a formal objection to Harrogate Spring Water’s controversial expansion plans in a new blow to the fiercely debated project.
Known for taking a practical and reasoned approach in general, Pinewoods Conservation Group’s intervention after seven years of heated debate on the plans, which would boost business but eradicate the trees at Rotary Wood on Harlow Hill, comes just a week before a key decision by county councillors on the Harrogate and Knaresborough Area Planning Committee.
Pinewoods Conservation Group has now submitted a formal objection to Harrogate Spring Water’s Reserved Matters Application, raising its serious procedural, ecological, and policy-based concerns regarding the proposed extension of the Harrogate Spa Water bottling facility.
Statement by Pinewoods Conservation Group
“The Pinewoods Conservation Group following a legal review has now submitted a detailed objection to the latest Harrogate Spa Water bottling plant expansion plans because after seven years, key environmental and community conditions still haven’t been met.
"Condition 12, which required a full ecological mitigation and management plan before any detailed planning stage, remains unresolved, meaning the original permission should have lapsed years ago.
"Despite this, the developer continues to push forward without transparency, and with no published Section 106 agreement to secure long-term habitat protection or biodiversity compensation.
“The proposed expansion would destroy valuable public green space that forms part of the Pinewoods and wider Harrogate green corridor, and that has long been recognised as an Asset of Community Value.
"This area is not just important for wildlife; it is a much-loved space used daily by walkers, families, and visitors.
“Harrogate residents deserve responsible development that enhances, not erodes, our natural environment.
"We are calling on North Yorkshire Council to stand by its environmental commitments, uphold the planning conditions already in place, and protect this unique part of our town for future generations.”
Harrogate Spring Water, which was family-owned before being taken over in 2020 by multi-national drinks giant Danon, has said, following extensive community consultation, that its plans include a new publicly-accessible two-acre woodland, of the same size as the area impacted, connected to the Pinewoods.