|
CAR WASH APPEAL
On 21st August, 2007 Sevenoaks District Council refused a planning application to use the old Price’s site at the junction of London Road and Wheatsheaf Hill as a car wash. The owners of the car wash appealed, and the appeal was heard on February 11th, 2008.
The appeal was dismissed. The Inspector considered it represented inappropriate development in the Green Belt, also inappropriate development in a Special Landscape Area. He did not consider that it was relevant to allow the appeal because there were already businesses in the immediate vicinity, or because the site had previously been used as a commercial site.
The other reason for refusal was that it was considered the site represented a traffic hazard, (“unacceptable hazards to highway safety”), because of vehicles being parked on the highway close to a road junction. Additionally, the visibility splays onto Wheatsheaf Hill did not meet national standards and were thought to be insufficient.
The only amendment to the original refusal was to allow the car wash 3 months to vacate the site, rather than the one month originally proposed by the District Council. They should be leaving the site around the middle of May.
|
