Planners deliver verdict on Jarrow car wash bid after residents raise alarm over noise and traffic
Plans to transform a private car park in Jarrow into a car wash and valeting facility have been blocked by council development chiefs over noise and highway safety concerns.
South Tyneside Council’s planning department, in a decision published this week, has refused an application for land adjacent to Jarrow Civic Hall in Ellison Street.
A planning statement previously submitted to council officials said the development would include a site cabin/office on part of the site and that opening times would be 9am to 5pm, Monday to Saturday, and 10am to 4pm on Sundays.
Those behind the scheme said the opening times had been “carefully considered to reduce any noise impact on the neighbouring area and to reduce any impact on the surrounding traffic during times of congestion”.
It was also noted that measures would be put in place to “ensure public and highway safety”, along with “sufficient parking for the staff” being available within the site.
During a council consultation exercise on the plans, there was public opposition with 13 letters of objection from 12 addresses raising a range of concerns.
This included “limited parking” in the area, congestion and traffic issues, increased noise and disturbance, the loss of the existing car park, a decrease in property values, and the existence of similar car wash facilities nearby.
After considering the planning application and assessing it against planning policies, South Tyneside Council’s planning department refused the plans on July 29, 2025, citing noise and highway safety as the main issues.
Council planners, in a published decision report, said there would be “significant harm to the residential amenity of the occupiers of nearby dwellings” due to activities proposed on site.
This included “jet washing, valeting equipment and generalcomings and goings” with specific reference made to “the close proximity of the application site to residential properties”.
Council planners added the noise mitigation measures referenced in the applicant’s submitted noise assessment included “screening structures which would require planning permission in their own right”.
However, it was noted that the screening fixtures had “not been included on the application plans” and there were no details provided “as to the siting of such structures and modelling of their noise mitigation effectiveness”.
As a result, the council’s planning department said “the matter of noise mitigation” could not be “addressed by means of a planning condition” and recommended the plans for refusal.
A second reason for refusal included the plans having “an unacceptable impact on highway safety for both vehicles and pedestrians” due to increased activity and the potential for “vehicles queuing across the site access on Ellison Street, as well as on Ellison Street itself” in a “busy town centre location.”
Previously submitted site plans noted existing car parking barriers and fencing would be removed to facilitate the new development, as well as the addition of a new modified vehicular entrance, car wash area and service layby.
Those behind the scheme argued the land was a “sustainable site to operate the proposed business which will create opportunities in Jarrow town centre which will promote the growth of the area.”
While acknowledging that seven new jobs would be a “benefit to the local community”, council planning officers referenced “several other [car washes] in the area that customers can drive to” and said the new proposed car wash business “would not be a particularly sustainable form of development”.
It was also argued that the positives of the scheme would not “outweigh the harm identified to pedestrian and vehicle safety, or to the living conditions of existing residents that would be caused through noise disturbance from the proposed use.”
The applicant has the right to challenge the council’s refusal decision by lodging an appeal with the Secretary of State.
For more information on the planning application, or to track its progress, visit South Tyneside Council’s planning portal website and search reference: ST/0223/24/FUL