DM2025/01590

The retrospective change of use to a Sui Generis car wash represents an inappropriate and incompatible use of this backland site, which directly borders and shares a constrained primary access with designated Site Allocation S10. By reason of the noise, water overspray, and vehicular trip generation associated with the unauthorised use, the development creates an environment that is fundamentally incompatible with, and severely prejudices the delivery of, the adjacent residential site allocation. Consequently, the development frustrates the Council's strategic housing delivery objectives, contrary to Policy 1 (Sustainable Growth) and Policy 40 (Site Allocations - specifically Allocation S10) of the Sutton Local Plan 2018, and Policy H1 of the London Plan 2021.

The unauthorised car wash operation results in significant, demonstrable, and ongoing harm to the residential amenity of adjoining and nearby occupiers. The intensive nature of the commercial activities specifically the continuous use of high-pressure jet washers, industrial vacuums, and associated vehicular movements, generates unacceptable levels of noise and disturbance that adversely impact the habitable rooms and private amenity spaces of neighbouring properties. Furthermore, the failure to contain water overspray within the site boundaries exacerbates this nuisance. The development is therefore contrary to Policy 29 (Protecting Amenity) and Policy 34 (Environmental Protection) of the Sutton Local Plan 2018, and Policy D14 (Noise) of the London Plan 2021.

The unauthorised development introduces an unacceptable risk to highway and pedestrian safety and severely compromises the efficiency of the public transport network. The intensive vehicular activity generated by the use, combined with the restricted sightlines at the site egress and its immediate proximity to a heavily utilised bus stop, results in hazardous vehicle conflicts. Furthermore, the lack of adequate on-site vehicle queuing capacity results in indiscriminate overspill parking and queuing on the public highway, which disrupts the free flow of traffic and delays bus operations. The proposal is therefore contrary to Policy 36 (Transport Impact) of the Sutton Local Plan 2018 and Policy T4 (Assessing and mitigating transport impacts) of the London Plan 2021.

The applicant has failed to demonstrate that the site benefits from adequate on-site drainage provision or flood risk mitigation. In the absence of an acceptable Sustainable Drainage Systems (SuDS) strategy and technical run-off calculations, the continual discharge of surface water from the commercial washing operations, compounded during storm events, leads to a material increase in flood risk for adjacent land. Furthermore, the unregulated discharge of water onto the public highway creates hazardous road conditions, particularly during winter months. The proposal is therefore contrary to Policy 32 (Flood Risk and Sustainable Drainage) of the Sutton Local Plan 2018 and Policy SI 13 (Sustainable drainage) of the London Plan 2021.

The retrospective commercial use poses an unacceptable and unmitigated risk to local water quality. The applicant has failed to demonstrate the installation of appropriate trade effluent infrastructure, such as adequately sized oil and silt interceptors. Consequently, there is an ongoing risk of hazardous contaminants, including detergents, chemical solvents, and silt, discharging directly into the surface water drainage system and wider watercourses. The proposal is therefore contrary to Policy 34 (Environmental Protection) of the Sutton Local Plan 2018 and Policy SI 5 (Water infrastructure) of the London Plan 2021.