Car wash plans scrapped over fears of harming view

"Large and unsightly" awnings had already been constructed at the site

Plans for a car wash behind a former Café Rouge in Surrey have been turned down over fears it would harm the view of the street.

The application for the 748 sqm (8051 sq ft) site at the junction of Portsmouth Road and Station Road in Esher would have seen the parking area used as a car wash with two awnings and six parking bays.

"Large and unsightly" awnings had already been put up at the site in anticipation for planning permission so the applicant could start operating immediately, a planning meeting heard.

The plans were refused at Elmbridge Borough Council planning meeting on 13 January, said the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

Councillors said the development would ultimately harm the character of the area and the street scene.

Councillor Simon Leifer argued the car wash would be "one of the first things you see" coming into the town, claiming the canopies are almost double the height of the surrounding wall.

"Is this what we want at the gateway to our town?" he added.

The applicant, who already operates a car wash business in Thames Ditton, said the new enterprise would be in a "useful" location.

He added the new development would provide local employment and was not near residential areas.