Harrogate MP is 'ready to fight again' against Harrogate Spring Water's plans to expand its water bottling site

Harrogate’s MP has relaunched his campaign to Save Rotary Wood after Harrogate Spring Water’s decision to appeal planners’ rejection of its expansion plans.

Tom Gordon said he was “ready to fight again” against the bottled water brand’s long fought-over bid to redevelop its water bottling site on Harlow Moor Road to increase capacity.

His comments follow last week’s announcement by Harrogate Spring Water, which is owned by multi-national Danone, that they will be taking their case to the national Planning Inspector after the Planning Committee at North Yorkshire Council voted against the expansion.

“We fought it last time and we’re ready to fight it again,” said the Lib Dem MP.

"I will keep working alongside Save Rotary Wood, Pinewoods Conservation Group and local residents until Rotary Wood is safeguarded for future generations."

The Harrogate and Knaresborough MP added that he would be writing to the Planning Inspectorate to make the case that the committee’s decision should stand.

Councillors rejected the famous water company’s scheme on two grounds - the landscaping aspects were "inadequate” to make up for the loss of existing trees and that the appearance of the extension lacked "local distinctiveness”.

Harrogate Spring Water argues that the committee’s reasons for refusal did not justify departing from the Council officers' recommendation for approval

It says it has designed detailed plans on both the landscaping and the appearance of the extension, following consultation with the local community.

In addition, it would be creating new, publicly-accessible woodland spanning two acres, the same size as the area impacted, located adjacent to Rotary Wood, planted on land secured for the community by Harrogate Spring Water.

The new tree planting scheme had been designed in consultation with ecological experts from the council, who agreed that the plans successfully mitigated the loss of trees

But Tom Gordon MP dismissed the company’s amelioration plans as missing the point.

“A new two-acre plantation is not a like-for-like swap for a decades-old woodland that local people planted and love,” he said.

“Danone may not like the committee’s decision but it was a democratic one and it should be respected."