Dame Judi Dench Urges Council to Reject Water Bottling Plant Expansion in Harrogate Woodland
Academy Award-winning actress Dame Judi Dench has joined a high-profile campaign urging North Yorkshire Council to reject plans by Harrogate Spring Water (HSW) to expand its bottling facility. The proposed expansion involves clearing Rotary Wood, a community woodland planted by children twenty years ago, which campaigners argue will destroy a vital local habitat. Dench, along with other notable figures such as Dame Joanna Lumley and environmentalist Sir Jonathon Porritt, submitted letters emphasizing the ecological and social value of the site. They criticize HSW, owned by multinational corporation Danone, for contradicting its own forest-positive policies by removing hundreds of trees. Despite receiving over 1,000 public objections, planning officers have recommended approving the scheme. HSW defends the project, citing the creation of more than 50 new jobs and commitments to plant thousands of new trees elsewhere in the district. The council is scheduled to make a final decision on the controversial application during an upcoming planning meeting, balancing economic benefits against significant environmental and community concerns regarding biodiversity loss.
Wire timeline
Dame Judi Dench Urges Council to Reject Water Bottling Plant Expansion in Harrogate Woodland
Academy Award-winning actress Dame Judi Dench has joined a high-profile campaign urging North Yorkshire Council to reject plans by Harrogate Spring Water (HSW) to expand its bottling facility. The proposed expansion involves clearing Rotary Wood, a community woodland planted by children twenty years ago, which campaigners argue will destroy a vital local habitat. Dench, along with other notable figures such as Dame Joanna Lumley and environmentalist Sir Jonathon Porritt, submitted letters emphasizing the ecological and social value of the site. They criticize HSW, owned by multinational corporation Danone, for contradicting its own forest-positive policies by removing hundreds of trees. Despite receiving over 1,000 public objections, planning officers have recommended approving the scheme. HSW defends the project, citing the creation of more than 50 new jobs and commitments to plant thousands of new trees elsewhere in the district. The council is scheduled to make a final decision on the controversial application during an upcoming planning meeting, balancing economic benefits against significant environmental and community concerns regarding biodiversity loss.
The Standard