Dame Judi Dench has spoken out against plans by Harrogate Spring Water to cut down Rotary Wood for development.
The actor, who named a seedling from Sycamore Gap after the son of Roman Emperor Hadrian, and has always loved trees – spoke out ahead of the planning meeting at the Civic Centre in Harrogate.
Dame Judi Dench issued the following statement:
To destroy Rotary Wood for corporate expansion would be an act of environmental vandalism — erasing a thriving habitat planted by children and nurtured by a community that believed in protecting our future. I dread hearing that it may still go ahead.
And go ahead it may, as the decision, which has been eight years in the making, was once again deferred, on the grounds that there wasn’t enough information to proceed.
Outside the council offices on Tuesday, more than 100 members of the public gathered to defend Rotary Wood, the much-loved community-planted woodland now under threat. It was a vibrant show of people power: banners flying, a brass band playing, Extinction Rebellion’s Red Rebels moving silently among the crowd, and “human trees” standing tall for nature.
Inside the meeting, there was uproar in the gallery when the MD of Harrogate Spring Water described his company as a “nice local business” — despite the fact the company is wholly owned by global giant Danone, whose public affairs team issued most pre-meeting press statements.
Conservative Cllr Mann (Con) repeatedly claimed his “hands were tied,” insisting there were no sufficient grounds for refusal – and Cllrs Lacey (Lib Dem) and Cllr Aldred (Lib Dem) were also minded to approve.
Lib Dems Cllr Broadbent and Cllr Walker, however, strongly refused to back down, arguing it failed to protect biodiversity and offered no real guarantees for the environment or community benefit.
The Council’s own lawyer rejected claims that the application was unlawful, yet confidence in that advice seemed shaken. Memories are still fresh from the Harrogate College Judicial Review, which cost the Council more than £26,000 after officers were found to have acted unlawfully over a missing Environmental Impact screening.
Independent Cllr Mike Schofield, spoke for local residents, and presented a detailed argument for more information about the Section 106 agreement, which was a key reason that the development was deferred and not approved. He said: “With so much missing information and no guarantees, the committee had no idea what it was being asked to agree to. We need to be sure what the community are actually getting, and that nature will be protected.”
Green Cllr Arnold Warneken spoke powerfully, arguing that trees protect against flooding and climate change, and asking why there was no environmental screening.
All four Green councillors at North Yorkshire Council have been with this campaign since it began back in 2016.
Councillor Arnold Warneken said:#
This Council is facing a climate emergency. We should be planting trees, not chopping them down.
They’re locking away 20 years of carbon, protecting us from heat and flooding.
Failing to supply full mitigation details for the woodland that was planted by this community, a whopping 8 years after being asked for them, is just disrespectful and irresponsible.
It should have been thrown out, but it’s been deferred. Is this a good use of taxpayer’s money? I don’t think so.
After the meeting, Sarah Gibbs of Save Rotary Wood — visibly emotional after seven years of relentless campaigning — said:
Though this isn’t the outcome we wanted, it’s another chance to grow our community of resistance and keep holding the Council to account.
There’s no ‘win-win’ here — the only real win for Harrogate is for Danone to develop elsewhere.
Richard Hall, Managing Director of Harrogate Spring Water said:
Our plans represent a significant investment in Harrogate, creating over 50 new jobs, delivering an annual £2.3 million boost to the local economy, and a commitment to protecting the local environment.
A spokesperson for the Pinewoods Conservation Group welcomed the deferral:
The community has been clear: development must not come at the expense of Harrogate’s green spaces and biodiversity.
We hope the Council uses this delay to demand full transparency and compliance before any decision is made.
We thank everyone who has stood up for Rotary Wood and will advise on next steps soon.
