Application for manual car wash denied in Bold Heath

The retroactive application, sent to St Helens Council, was for a change of use to a manual car wash. to include retaining buildings at the Ace of Hearts Garage on Warrington Road, Bold Heath.

According to the plans, the application site relates to an outdoor hand wash facility known as RS Hand Car Wash which was previously used in conjunction with a former car sales forecourt (HSK Motors Ltd) prior to existing use.

The site is on the north side of the highway and forms parts of a larger site that includes the Ace of Hearts workshop, a gas station, a hairdresser and an MOT center. The application site is within the Green Belt and Bold Forest Park.

The Bold municipal council objected to the application.

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In a report, case officer Alex Ball stated: “The development does not preserve the openness of the greenbelt and is therefore considered inappropriate greenbelt development.

“I conclude that development on this site would be inappropriate development, which by definition is detrimental to the Green Belt and should only be permitted in very special circumstances.”

It was also said: “The car wash is located at a very prominent gateway from Warrington to St Helens. The car wash and associated structures create visual clutter in a very prominent location.”

It added that “the introduction of shipping containers on-site in a rural area would be in stark contrast to the area’s defining character”.

The official recommended the denial motion, adding: “The development is a mis-development in the Green Belt, which affects the openness of the Green Belt and is accompanied by interference with the landscape.”