Agenda and minutes

Apologies for absence had been received from Councillors Hannah Gostlow, Paul Haslam and Robert Windass.  Councillor Matt Walker attended as Councillor Gostlow’s substitute.

The minutes of the meeting held on the 26 August 2025 were confirmed and signed as an accurate record.

Councillor Aldred declared that, in his capacity as a Harrogate Town Councillor, he had participated in a debate in May 2025 regarding the proposed transfer of an existing contract between North Yorkshire Council and Harrogate Spring Water to the newly created Harrogate Town Council. He confirmed that this matter had no bearing on his consideration of the planning application before the Committee, which he approached with an open mind.

Councillor Broadbank declared that he was a member of the Civic Society. He stated that he held no position of responsibility within the organisation and that this would not affect his judgement in relation to the application.

The Assistant Director Planning, Community Development Services sought determination of a reserved matters planning application for an extension to Harrogate Spring Water bottling facility, pursuant to outline application 16/05254/OUTMAJ, with internal access, appearance, landscaping, layout and scale being the only matters for consideration, on land at Harlow Moor Road, Harrogate, North Yorkshire, HG2 0QB.

The application had been reported to the Committee due to there being significant public interest in the application such that it was appropriate for it to be considered by the Committee.

The Development Service Manager presented the report and highlighted the location and site description. The officer highlighted that outline planning permission had been granted in 2017, and that this had established the principle of development, site access, drainage, and tree loss. It was confirmed that these matters were therefore not for consideration as part of the reserved matters application before Members. The proposed building layout was confirmed to be in accordance with the parameters plan approved at outline stage, and both the layout and internal access arrangements were considered acceptable. Officers also considered the landscaping proposals, the appearance of the building, and its scale to be acceptable, with the latter complying with the approved massing and scale plans.

Providing an update to their report, officers advised members of the following points.

·       Paragraph 5.3 of the report states that the proposals would create 32 jobs. The applicant has since clarified that the correct figure is 50 jobs.

·       Paragraph 10.19 refers to the proposed landscaping being maintained in perpetuity by the applicant. As the applicant is a leaseholder, this should be amended to state that maintenance will be for the duration of the lease period.

·       It was highlighted that members had received a letter raising concerns about the legality of the proposals from legal representatives acting on behalf of an objector group. Officers explained that they did not agree with the points raised and did not consider them to prevent the Committee from determining the application.

·       The recommendation is subject to the prior completion of a legal agreement to secure the off-site landscaping area. It was confirmed that work on this agreement was not yet complete and that the draft and final versions of the agreement will be published before formal approval is granted, in accordance with the Greenfield legal case decision.

The following questions were raised by the Committee.

·       Whether the land being designated as an Asset of Community Value is a material consideration in the determination of the application and whether this meant that there will be a period during which others could express interest in purchasing the land.

·       Whether the Council had a potential financial or contractual interest in this application and how that should be handled.

·       Whether Certificate B had been served by the Applicant on the Council as the landowner.

·       The Committee asked about the status of the Section 106 agreement and whether it is usual for such agreements to be completed after a committee resolution.

·       How changes in circumstances or new  ...  view the full minutes text for item 51.

Any other items which the Chair agrees should be considered as a matter of urgency because of special circumstances.

There were no items of urgent business.

Tuesday, 25 November 2025 at 2.00pm.

Tuesday 25 November 2025 at 2.00 pm.