HARROGATE Spring Water has announced it will submit fresh plans to expand its bottled water plant after being blocked by councillors earlier this year.

The company, which is majority-owned by French firm Danone, said in a statement on Wednesday that it would not appeal Harrogate Borough Council’s decision in January to reject its plans to expand over a community-planted woodland.

Instead, a new planning application will be submitted, although it is unclear how Rotary Wood will be affected.

Harrogate Spring Water said further details would be announced “in the coming weeks” and that it had listened to concerns raised by campaigners.

Managing director James Cain said: “We care passionately about acting in the best interests of Harrogate, its people and its natural environment. And that’s why we listen to the community.

“We’ve taken on board the feedback on our original expansion plans. Now we’ll continue to engage with the community – actively seeking views on a revised plan that responds to people’s concerns and ambitions.

“We’ll also be clear in explaining our rationale, and why we believe this move is important from an environmental and economic perspective.”

The refusal of the previous proposals in January was one of the most significant planning decisions in Harrogate’s recent history.

Rotary Wood was planted by local children 15 years ago and became a battleground as campaigners fought to save several trees from destruction in a planning saga which attracted national attention.

The council had recommended the plans for approval and was accused by members of its own planning committee of putting “profit and plastic before impact on the environment”.

This was after Harrogate Spring Water was given permission to expand in 2017 but then submitted a revised application for a larger site

The company made a commitment to replace the lost trees at a rate of two to one at a nearby site but campaigners argued this would not have gone far enough to compensate for the loss of Rotary Wood.

Speaking about the latest plans, Mr Cain added: “Our vision is to create a sustainable future for our business as one that supports high quality jobs, drives prosperity in the town and looks after nature.

“We’ll provide a further update in the coming weeks.”