'It results in significant harm to highway safety' - Walsall planning chief tells unlawful car wash it must close
A car wash and valeting centre that opened without planning permission has been told it must close after failing to secure consent.
Shak's Car Wash opened at the former Lazy Hill Garage in Walsall Wood Road, Aldridge, more than a year ago.
A 42ft by 30ft canopy was erected over the forecourt, and a 4ft fence erected to shield the site from the road.
Walsall Council began enforcement proceedings against the business for unauthorised change of use.
The company claimed the car wash supported a total of 10 jobs, and was an asset to the area.
A statement issued by the applicant said the development would 'provide customers with elegant style car wash, detailing and car sales pitch, which has ample space for vehicle parking and manoeuvrability'
"The overall design will be sustainable and efficient as we will be using state-of-the-art equipment that is placed within a plant room that will be acoustically insulated to reduce any noise impact to the neighbouring properties," it said.
"The proposed change of use would be beneficial for the local community as it would provide a quality service and ease of access and egress, which is limited in the area.
"The proposal will help regenerate the area and help inject money back into the community by providing jobs to locals and providing jobs and a facility that would regenerate a vacant site. The business will help generate over six full-time jobs for the local community and four part-time, which in these current times is a huge opportunity for the local area."
A highways officer for Walsall Council raised concerns about visibility problems caused by the fencing, and about an increased risk of pedestrians slipping or falling on the pavement.
"Given the proposed use and levels there are concerns that discharge could occur from the site onto the highway which would not be acceptable in highways safety terms, notably potential for slips or falls and cumulative matters relating to maintenance," said the officer.
"Drainage channels and strip drain have been installed but the details have not been provided or assessed to address the concerns raised.
"Insufficient information in relation to visibility has been provided to ensure that pedestrians including children and other vulnerable road users could be adequately seen due to the presence of the new fence line."
Refusing the application, Walsall Council's head of planning Michael Brereton said: "The application does not demonstrate that a suitable visibility splay can be provided at the access and egress points of the site and the development proposed results in significant harm to highway safety.
"The application provides insufficient detail to demonstrate that the site drainage is sufficient to prevent surface water run-off onto the highway which would lead to a severe impact on the safety of footpath users. The application fails to mitigate for water spray on to the public footpath, the details of which would represent a substantial change to the application."
