A Call to Protect a Community Woodland
Dame Judi Dench, one of the most celebrated actors in British theatre and film, has spoken out against plans to expand a water bottling plant in Harrogate. In her letter to local councillors, she emphasized the importance of preserving Rotary Wood, a woodland that has been nurtured over the past 20 years by the local community.
The planning meeting scheduled for Friday will decide on the expansion proposal by Harrogate Spring Water (HSW). The company’s plan involves removing hundreds of trees from Rotary Wood, a site that was planted by children and has since become an integral part of the area’s natural landscape.
North Yorkshire Council has received more than 1,000 objections to the scheme, with many residents expressing concern about the environmental impact. HSW claims that the expansion will create over 50 new jobs and that it plans to establish a new public wood featuring 491 new trees, along with planting around 3,000 trees in the Harrogate district.
In her letter, Dame Judi expressed her disappointment at not being able to attend the meeting in person but stressed the importance of protecting Rotary Wood. She described it as a “living, growing woodland created through patience, care and public spirit.” She highlighted the efforts of local families, volunteers, schoolchildren, and community supporters who helped plant and nurture the woodland over the years.
She added: “Over the years it has become part of Harrogate’s natural fabric and part of the area’s shared sense of place.”
Dame Judi also raised concerns about the broader environmental issues facing the country, including biodiversity loss and climate change. She said it is troubling that a healthy community woodland could be seen as disposable.
Among the other high-profile figures opposing the application are actors Dame Joanna Lumley and Sam West, as well as environmentalist Sir Jonathon Porritt. Dame Joanna criticized the plan, saying it is “dreadful in so many ways” to cut down trees planted by children for a bottling plant. She added that the 20-year-old forest carrying the hopes of the next generation cannot be replaced.
HSW is owned by Danone, a multinational food-products company based in France. Campaigners argue that the plan to remove the trees contradicts the firm’s Forest Policy. Sir Jonathon said he has spent decades urging companies to turn fine words on forests into real action. He criticized Danone for proposing to cut down a thriving community woodland planted by children.
Planning officers have recommended that the plan is approved. However, HSW maintains that only 500 trees in the wood will be impacted, rather than the 1,000 cited by campaigners. The company said it had originally planned to plant around 1,500 trees in its new community woodland, next to Rotary Wood, but reduced this to 491 after advice from North Yorkshire Council’s arboriculturist.
A spokesperson for HSW stated: “Throughout the planning process, we have worked constructively with council officers and listened closely to community concerns. 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.”
They added that these plans align with Danone’s commitments globally to sustainable, responsible development, including its Renewed Forest Policy. The firm emphasized its goal to balance sustainable development and economic growth with care for the local environment and community.
