Harrogate protesters vow to 'save our woodland' despite Harrogate Spring Water's changes to its expansion plans

An infuriated Sarah Gibbs, a prominent figure in the Save Rotary Wood - Again campaign, said the offer to plant more replacement trees in the Pinewoods area did not mitigate or compensate for the proposed loss of Rotary Wood itself.

Speaking following a protest outside the Crown Hotel where the bottled water firm was holding a public consultation on its latest plans last week, the environmental campaigner said: “I think the whole thing has become more frustrating because now there’s even more science to show that governments, councils, and big corporations need to make immediate changes to avoid ecological breakdown and climate collapse.

"We will continue to do our best to save our woodland during the climate crisis.”

Harrogate Spring Water has entered into an agreement, pending a successful planning application, to acquire two acres of land immediately next to Rotary Wood where it will plant around 1,200 trees and landscape the area to provide an accessible green space open to the public.

The new area of woodland means that any trees in Rotary Wood which are removed as a result of the proposed expansion will be replaced at a ratio of 3:1.

The water company, which is now owned by French multinational food-products corporation Danone, says it will be at the heart of the company’s revised “Reserved Matters” application to expand its production facilities on its current site on Harlow Moor Road in the town.

Having first won outline planning permission in 2017, Harrogate Spring Water remains committed to increasing its capacity for bottled water, boosting its level of economic output generated - known as Gross Valued Added (GVA) - by around £2.3million a year to £6.2m a year and create more than 50 new jobs for local people.

Members of Save Rotary Wood - Again campaign remain completely hostile to the expansion.

Sarah Gibbs said: “The job argument is weak as there are already too many jobs for Harrogate job centre to fill currently.

"I imagine most proposed jobs will be during construction which in my experience is sourced from elsewhere in the country,” she said.

"When asked about an increase in road traffic increase because of the expansion, they couldn’t tell us exactly what that involve, though lorries run 24 hours per hour currently.

Protesters’ opposition to Harrogate Spring Water’s plans go far beyond the specific details.

The campaigners are implacably opposed to the use of plastic in bottles.

They regard companies such as Danone as part of the problem, rather than the solution, when it comes to tackling climate change.

Sarah Gibbs said: “The greenwash just keeps continuing.

"The Climate Change report by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), the United Nations body that assesses the science related to climate change, shows the need to halt deforestation and decarbonise plastics now.

"But instead, they still intend to literally uproot our community/children’s past efforts to tackle climate change 19+ years later when the woods are thriving and of a maturity to have beneficial carbon sequestration, to produce more single use plastic.

"I am so fed up with global corporations and people in positions of power prioritising money over a sustainable, habitable planet.”

But Harrogate Spring Water has fiercely defended its record on the environment and supporting the battle against climate change.

It says it is proud to have won accreditation by the worldwide B Corp movement, showing its commitment to building a more inclusive, greener and sustainable economy.

And Managing director Richard Hall said he wanted to see a deposit return scheme to encourage recycling implemented to help minimise the product’s impact.

“We recognise that some people think plastic isn’t a great packaging material,” said Mr Hall.

"It’s not something we agree with.

"We need to take responsibility for our packaging and make sure there’s a system that collects and recycles plastic.

Harrogate Spring Water claims it has been sending zero waste to landfill since 2010.

And, it adds, all of its bottle components are 100% recyclable, and the bottle made with 51% recycled content and materials sourced from within 90 miles of the site.