Two Dames of the Realm have urged councillors not to allow a bottled water company to expand its factory into an area of community woodland.
Actors Judi Dench and Joanna Lumley have spoken out ahead of a key planning meeting today (Friday) to decide on Harrogate Spring Water’s proposal to increase the size of its plant in Harlow Moor Road, Harrogate.
Campaign groups and local politicians have criticised the plan, which would see the loss of around 500 trees in the Rotary Wood community woodland.
Speaking in support of the Pinewoods Conservation Group, which is contesting the plans, Dame Lumley OBE said that cut down trees planted by children to develop a bottling plant was “dreadful in so many ways”.
She added:
“Other locations could, and should, be considered if additional capacity is truly needed: this 20-year-old forest carrying the hopes of the next generation cannot be replaced. Only a swift u-turn can save the face of a company whose green credentials are already looking pretty suspect.
“Do a great right, do a little wrong and let those trees stand and grow, let children believe and trust in big business and in decisions made by grown ups.”
Dame Dench has previously spoken out about the expansion.
Ahead of the meeting, she said:
“At a time when the country is talking so urgently about biodiversity loss, climate pressure and the need to protect nature close to where people live, it is deeply troubling that a healthy community woodland could be treated as disposable.
“Once mature trees and established habitat are lost, they are not simply replaced by promises. The value of a place like Rotary Wood lies not only in the number of trees on a map, but in the life it already supports and in the relationship local people have built with it”.
More than 1,300 objections have been submitted by residents and campaigners, including those involved in planting the woodland around 20 years ago.
Local MP Tom Gordon said he had raised the issue in Parliament, adding:
“This isn’t just about trees, it’s about whether a multinational corporation respects the democracy and the environment of the town it calls home.”
Critics say the move contradicts parent company Danone’s Forest Policy, which pledges “verified deforestation‑ and conversion‑free” supply chains by 2025 and a “forest‑positive” status by 2030.
Environmentalist and author, Jonathon Porritt, said:
“You cannot call yourself ‘forest positive’ while cutting down a thriving community woodland planted by children. Rotary Wood is precisely the kind of living carbon store and biodiversity refuge we need to protect.
“If Danone wants credibility on climate and nature, the simplest, most powerful step it can take is to leave these trees standing.”
In response to the criticism of its plans, Harrogate Spring Water said it had “worked constructively with council officers and listened closely to community concerns” throughout the planning process.
A spokesperon added:
“We have committed to creating a new, publicly accessible two‑acre woodland connected to the Pinewoods, planting 491 native and more mature trees, and delivering around 3,000 trees across the district – six times more than would be lost.
“These plans are consistent with Danone’s commitments globally to sustainable, responsible development, including its Renewed Forest Policy.
“Ultimately our goal remains to balance sustainable development and economic growth with care for the local environment and community.”
North Yorkshire Council officers have recommended that councillors approve the expansion when they meet at the Civic Centre in Harrogate.
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