Decision day for Harrogate Spring Water's expansion plans - how to watch today's meeting and what to expect

Harrogate Borough Council's planning committee will today make a decision on the plans which would see the community woodland cut down to make way for expansion of the company's bottling plant - and planning officers have made a recommendation for approval.

The meeting will start at 2pm and because of Covid restrictions it's being held virtually. Members of the public can watch it live on the council's YouTube channel.

What are the proposals?

Harrogate Spring Water was granted outline planning permission to expand its bottling site adjacent to Rotary Wood in 2017 – a decision that was strongly opposed by the town’s green groups.

Two years later, the company then submitted a revised application that is 40 per cent larger than the one originally approved.

Today's meeting is looking at the revised application and will hear arguments from both sides before councillors make a decision.

The council's planning department have recommended the plans for approval subject to an agreement on the management of a replacement woodland as Harrogate Spring Water have promised a 2:1 replacement of trees to be chopped down.

What to expect?

The council's recommendation of approval only goes as far as that - it's just a recommendation.

It will be councillors on the planning committee who represent members of the public that will ultimately have the final say. They can either vote for or against the plans, but could also ask for a deferment if they feel key questions are unanswered, meaning a final decision would be made at a later date.

Who is on the planning committee?

There are 12 seats on Harrogate Borough Council's planning committee with nine Conservative councillors, two Liberal Democrats and one from the Ripon Independents party.

These include councillors John Mann (chair), Nigel Simms (vice-chair), Margaret Atkinson, Bernard Bateman, Trevor Chapman, Jim Clark, Sid Hawke, Pat Marsh, Stuart Martin, Zoe Metcalfe, Andrew Paraskos and Robert Windass.

If any councillors are unavailable for today's meeting, there will be a substitution.

And if votes for or against are level, the committee's chair councillor John Mann will have the casting vote to resolve a potential deadlock.

What are the main arguments?

Harrogate Borough Council’s planning department said it was recommending the plans for approval because the economic benefits of the proposed development would outweigh the negative impacts.

“There are significant economic benefits of the proposed development, including job creation, other financial benefits to the district and the enhancement of the Harrogate brand,” officers said in a report.

They added: “It is acknowledged that the proposed development would result in an additional loss of trees and would harm the landscape. However, subject to securing the compensation site via a legal agreement, it is considered that there would be no net loss of biodiversity or trees.”

Meanwhile, Harrogate Spring Water, which was taken over by french food giant Danone last year, has welcomed support for its expansion plans from planning officers.

Rob Pickering, senior spokesperson at Harrogate Spring Water, said: "We’d like to reassure the local community that the plan for Rotary Wood places a huge focus on supporting the local environment and promoting biodiversity.

"Our plans include a commitment to replacing the trees on a two for one basis and a long term plan to ensure they are looked after and protected."

Despite the promises and reassurances, Harrogate's green campaigners have long contested the plans and are pleading with councillors to vote for refusal.

These groups include Harrogate and District Green Party, Pinewoods Conservation Group, Zero Carbon Harrogate, Harrogate Rotary Club and more.

What is Rotary Wood?

The public forest, known as Rotary Wood, was planted by local school children between 2005 and 2011.

It sits adjacent to Harrogate Spring Water's existing site and alongside Harrogate’s 96-acre Pinewoods forest.

How to watch the meeting?

It would be a massive understatement to say this is one of the most significant and potentially controversial planning decisions in Harrogate's recent history.

Once campaigners, residents and Harrogate Spring Water representatives have laid out their arguments, the spotlight will shift councillors to cast their vote in a decision which could have serious implications for the future of Rotary Wood, Harrogate Spring Water and the council's reputation.

To watch today's meeting go to the council's YouTube channel at www.youtube.com/channel/UCX57t2m4WvRMT4csCfglbvQ

By Jacob Webster, Local Democracy Reporter