Plans for a hand car wash and valeting service to be built on land next to a plumbing supply centre have been thrown out by the council.

Andrew Smith of Wickworth Street, Nelson, lodged an application with Pendle Council on October 24, seeking permission to build a car wash on vacant/spare land to the rear of North Valley Plumbing Centre in North Valley Road, Colne.

An application form submitted to the council’s planning department stated the walls of the car wash were to be made from Perspex in the form of screens, and a plastic canopy which could be open and shut was also to be erected, with flood lights installed to provide lighting for darker periods.

The car wash would have created four permanent full-time jobs and two part-time jobs, with the proposed opening times being 9am until 6pm Monday to Saturday and 10am until 4pm on Sundays.

However, the council refused planning permission earlier this week after Lancashire County Council and Colne Town Council raised objections over additional traffic.

A report to the planning committee read: “The proposal will create additional vehicle movements which are not linked to the existing use of the site and due to the location of the site access, on a congested signalised roundabout with multiple lanes, the proposal is likely to cause a highway safety issue.

“There are three collisions recorded in the previous five years on the section of roundabout between Brook Street and the Filling Station.

“The intensification of use at the site is likely to conflict with circulating traffic on the roundabout and interfere with the free flow of traffic at the traffic signals. This may result in rear end shunts and increased queue lengths due to reduced road capacity.

“The proposal includes four-five designated car parking spaces for the Plumbing Centre. There is no car parking designated for staff at the Car Wash and Valet and no designated area for service vehicles at the Plumbing Centre.”

Colne Town Council responded to the plan by submitting the following objection: “Colne Town Council objects to this development on the grounds that it will have a damaging effect on the amenity and appearance of the area.

“This development will cause a distraction to drivers and traffic flow in the area will be adversely affected. Given that there is a frequently used public right of way in the vicinity, the Town Council also has road safety concerns.”

Pendle Council’s planning committee said that the proposed structures would add clutter to a very prominent site which is at a key road junction on the approach to the North Valley Retail Park and the town centre, detracting from the wider visual amenity of the area and represented poor design.