It was business as usual at an unauthorised Harrogate car wash this morning (August 5), despite the council ordering it to stop trading.

Adnan Rusool and Mohammed Khader, listed as the applicants behind Skipton Road Car Wash, lodged an appeal to the Planning Inspectorate – the government body in charge of planning disputes – after North Yorkshire Council rejected plans to convert the former Jewson builder’s merchant site into a car wash and valeting station in April.

However, a planning inspector dismissed the appeal on July 25, prompting the council to order the car wash to cease trading.

The council’s corporate director for community development, Nic Harne, told the Stray Ferret last Friday (August 1):

However, the car wash appears to have continued to trade in the days following.

The Stray Ferret visited the site this morning (August 5) and on Sunday (August 3), and operations were in full swing on both occasions (pictured).

This is not the first time Skipton Road Car Wash has continued to operate without relevant planning permission, as reported by the Stray Ferret. The car wash also continued operating last November, despite the council launching an enforcement investigation into the site.

Council's position has not changed, spokesperson says

The Stray Ferret told North Yorkshire Council the car wash has continued to operate despite being told to cease trading, and asked if formal enforcement action would be launched.

We also asked if stricter measures would be taken to ensure Skipton Road Car Wash complies with the council’s order.

A council spokesperson told the Stray Ferret the authority’s position “has not changed” since it issued Mr Harne’s statement last Friday and referred us back to his comment.

The Stray Ferret went back to the council with photos of the car wash operating today (August 5) and gave the authority another opportunity to comment. However, the spokesperson said Mr Harne’s statement is the council’s “latest position" and again referred us back to his comment.

The Stray Ferret approached Skipton Road Car Wash for comment but we did not receive a response. 

Planning history

The Stray Ferret has followed the saga closely over recent years.

Plans to convert 81 Skipton Road into a car wash were originally lodged in December 2023.

The application was withdrawn the following March, but the car wash continued to operate for months despite no additional proposals being put forward.

This prompted the council to launch an enforcement investigation into the site in October 2024.

A letter, seen by the Stray Ferret at the time, said an investigation into a potential breach of planning control at the site had been carried out and the owners were advised to cease operating until planning permission had been sought and granted.

However, enforcement action was quickly suspended after the owners submitted fresh plans to operate the site in November.

This application was refused in April this year, before the owners lodged an appeal to the Planning Inspectorate.