HARROGATE SPRING WATER has announced plans to create a new publicly accessible community woodland as part of revised proposals to expand its operations in the town, to replace the woodland impacted by the development.

Last summer, public consultations were held on the expansion proposals and the feedback was centred around the impact on the Rotary Wood. Harrogate Spring Water listened to this feedback and in response has agreed, pending a successful 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.

Harrogate Spring Water now wants to work with the local community, wildlife and nature groups and other organisations to create a space which provides the maximum benefit for the public as well as enhancing the area’s biodiversity.

The new area of woodland 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.

The plans aim to deliver a 10% increase in current biodiversity levels in the area.

Richard Hall, Managing Director at Harrogate Spring Water, said: “We promised before the public consultation last summer that we would listen to what people told us and take their feedback on board when deciding what we would do next.

“One of the things which came through clearly was that people were concerned about the potential loss of access to community woodland.

“Since then, we have been working long and hard on ways to address this whilst still allowing us to expand operations on the site to meet the increasing demand for our products and invest further in the town.

“Our proposed new area of community woodland will be home to around 1,200 trees, will be fully accessible to the public and we hope it will become a valued resource for the local community for many years to come.

“It sits at the heart of our vision for the future of our operations in the town, fully part of the local community, and represents a significant part of the overall investment which we are making in expanding our presence in Harrogate.”

Harrogate Spring Water is working alongside local forestry experts to identify other locations in Harrogate to plant an additional 1,500 trees on top of what will be planted on the newly acquired land. Together, this will result in a replacement rate of 6:1 for any trees removed during the expansion.

Harrogate Spring Water secured outline planning permission for its expansion in 2017 with a plan that was passed unanimously by Harrogate Borough Council following an extensive public consultation exercise involving various stakeholder groups.

The Reserved Matters application which the company is now planning to put forward to North Yorkshire Council will contain details on the size and design of the expanded production facility as well as information on matters including landscaping and biodiversity net gain.

Harrogate Spring Water will show the local community their revised plans in detail at a public consultation event planned to be held in November before it is sent to North Yorkshire Council. Information will also be posted online so that those who cannot make the event can still access details and have their say.

Richard Hall said: “We want everyone to be able to see what we have planned and to be reassured that we have listened to and addressed their concerns.

“The town of Harrogate and its people are the foundation of our success as a business. So it is very important for us that, as we look to grow the company, create new job opportunities and invest further in the local and regional economy, we take time to listen to what the community has to say.

“I believe that our new plans demonstrate this commitment and our determination to act upon it.”

The expansion will help to create over 50 new jobs for local people at Harrogate Spring Water, in addition to at least 20 jobs in the local construction sector during the build phase.

It will boost the level of economic output generated – known as Gross Valued Added (GVA) – by Harrogate Spring Water by around £2.3m a year to £6.2m a year.

More details about the public consultation event will be announced shortly including and details will be available from next week at https://www.harrogatespring.com/facility-extension/

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

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.

Before putting in the proposals to Harrogate Borough Council, Harrogate Spring Water wants to hear from members of the local community about how they would like to see the expansion carried out.

The company will organise a series of public consultation events next month where people will get to have their say on the design and landscaping of the proposed extension and surrounding land.

These views will help to shape the final application which will then go on public display before being submitted to the council.

Richard Hall, managing director at Harrogate Spring Water, said: “The town of Harrogate and the local community are at the heart of our business. So it is important for us to ensure that, as we look to grow, create further job opportunities and continue to support the local and regional economy, we also listen to them.

“That’s why we are now encouraging people to engage with us on this process, to give us the benefit of their views and to help shape the future of the company.

“We have a shared interest in driving prosperity for the town and creating a sustainable future for a key business that takes the Harrogate name around the UK and the world, and we hope that this process will allow us to come to a resolution which addresses people’s concerns and the town’s aspirations.”

Harrogate Spring Water secured outline planning permission for its expansion in 2017 with a plan that was passed unanimously by the council following an extensive public consultation exercise involving various stakeholder groups.

But in 2019, the company put forward new proposals to increase the size of that expansion. That application was turned down by Harrogate Borough Council despite being recommended for approval by planning officials.

Having taken stock, Harrogate Spring Water is now reverting to its original 2017 plan, covering a smaller area than the 2019 proposals, and is again inviting stakeholder groups and the public to give their views on what the new building and surrounding landscaping should look like.

Richard Hall said: “We have thought long and hard about the concerns raised about the 2019 plan, we have taken on board the feedback from the community and we are now looking to move forward.

“By reverting to the original plan and again consulting on what the final development could look like, we are going back to previously agreed plans and taking what we believe is a real gold standard approach on responsible development.”

Proceeding with the original 2017 plan reduces the size and impact of the extension compared with the 2019 proposals.

The company is looking into ways to achieve net biodiversity gain for the site, pursuing proposals to carry out a compensatory tree planting scheme and there is also the potential to make Rotary Wood more accessible to the public, create more shared areas or to leave the land as it is, depending on the outcome of the public consultation.

The extension to Harrogate Spring Water’s building could also have a green roof, a living wall or other features.

The expansion will help to create over 30 new jobs for local people at Harrogate Spring Water, in addition to at least 25 jobs during the construction process.

It will boost the level of economic output generated (GVA) by around £1.3m a year. Business rates, contributing to the funding of public services, will also increase by over £900,000 a year.

Richard Hall said: “We feel it is vital for us as a business to take our environmental responsibilities seriously.

“We also want to work in partnership with the local community on this. We want them to help shape the woodland into the resource which they would like to see and ensure our extension blends in as well as it can into the surrounding area.

“By engaging meaningfully with local residents, stakeholder groups and the public, we feel this represents the best and fairest way forward for everyone.”

The public meeting will be held next month and there will also be an opportunity for people to have their say via a dedicated webpage at https://www.harrogatespring.com/facility-extension/

For more information contact Howard Walker at Cool Blue Brand Communications on howard.walker@coolblue.co.uk

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