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Journalists from the series People Fixing the World looked at the use of the Polis software in dealing with consensus issues with the episode containing interviews from politicians in Taiwan to visitors to the Valley Gardens in Harrogate.

Andrew Gray, the creator of Harrogate District Consensus, who featured in the broadcast said: “At the Harrogate District Consensus, we provide an online and anonymous platform which allows Harrogate residents to explore contentious issues and, ideally, to solve them. In a few months we have facilitated more than 100,000 votes.

"Our Pinewoods versus Harrogate Spring Water conversation has garnered the most voters, with 661 individuals voting cumulatively over 15,000 times.

"These voters have created nearly 200 statements for others to vote upon.

The BBC World Service’s People Fixing The World programme have been following our work, which has brought machine-learning political technology to Harrogate.

"Although this conversation remains open, preliminary analysis of the data indicates that the overwhelming majority of people in Harrogate are hostile to any changes to Rotary Wood.

"We believe that a consensus might still be possible in Harrogate, but that would, in all likelihood, mean that voters would have to agree to the expansion of the factory on the condition that ten to 20 times more trees are planted than those which might be felled. But this is speculative.

"We observe that had the factory been producing something other than plastic bottles, then there might have been more support for the proposals.

"Much of the voters’ anger at these proposals was directed at the use of plastic.”

Neil Hind, the chair of Pinewoods Conservation Group said: “We know that the issues remains to be contentious and it was a pleasure to have the BBC World Service team come to Harrogate and attend a recent event in Valley Gardens that highlighted the ongoing risk to Rotary Wood to residents and visitors.

"The system has given us some invaluable insight into people’s thinking on this subject in a more scientific way. We still encourage people to share their views.”

The Pinewoods Conservation Group plan to use the findings from the system in ongoing conversations with Harrogate Spring Water during the current consultation and planning process.

Harrogate Spring Water has had outline planning permission since 2017 to expand its production facilities on its site on Harlow Moor Road.

In May of this year the company announced it was to revert to its original 2017 plan, covering a smaller area than the 2019 proposals which would involve the loss of trees at Rotary Wood, with plans for replacement trees in a different location in the area.

Harrogate Spring Water says the expansion will create more than 30 new jobs for local people with at least 25 jobs during the construction process - and boost the local economy by over £1.3m a year.

The company is now putting together a “Reserved Matters” application which will detail how the new building will look and how the surrounding area will be landscaped.

It is expected that final planning documents will be submitted by Harrogate Spring Water later this year which will then lead to a further consultation period.

It's not the first time the long-running and occasionally heated debate over the future of the area round the Harrogate spa water firm's bottling plant.

In early 2021 TV presenter Julia Bradbury waded into the argument triggering a rash of articles in the national press including The Times, The Independent and The Guardian.

The episode of People Fixing the World featuring Rotary Wood can be found at: https:

//www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/w3ct3j2q.

The online platform featured can be found at:

https://www.harrogatedistrictconsensus.org/conversations/pinewoods-v-harrogate-spring-water/

Harrogate District Consensus was set up to improve Harrogate and enhance local democracy.

This platform aims to help the people of Harrogate steer local politicians and decision-makers to make better decisions, improving Harrogate for all.

For more details please contact Andrew Gray via [email protected].

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