Cutting down woodland for new water bottle plant would harm Harrogate: The Yorkshire Post says

Environmental campaigners and residents alike are right when they say that the destruction of Rotary Wood would send the wrong message about the protection of green spaces, and the television presenter Julia Bradbury, who is backing them, makes a telling point when she says destroying trees to produce more potentially-polluting plastic feels especially inappropriate.

Even though Harrogate Council’s planning officers have recommended that the new bottling plant should be granted permission, councillors should think again and consider if there is a better way forward on this.

The negative publicity of the wood being destroyed would harm the brand of Harrogate as a town, as well as the company concerned, Harrogate Spring Water, together with its owner, the French food company Danone. That is a matter councillors should give due consideration to.

Nobody can quibble with the need for new jobs in the town that the bottling plant offers, but finding an alternative site that does not involve sacrificing precious green space would be a much better option for both Harrogate and the company.

Harrogate’s voters must hope that the councillors they elected to represent them, and who should always be sensitive to public opinion, give due weight to the strong concerns expressed about Rotary Wood when taking a decision on this matter.

Support The Yorkshire Post and become a subscriber today. Your subscription will help us to continue to bring quality news to the people of Yorkshire. In return, you’ll see fewer ads on site, get free access to our app and receive exclusive members-only offers. Click here to subscribe.