Staff Reports
Continuing updates on the global car wash industry:
Halstead approves new car wash location
The town of Halstead in Essex, England, has approved plans to demolish an empty showroom and replace the building with car washes and parking spaces.
The application sets out a proposal for the planning permission to replace the showroom, located next to the Esso petrol station, with three jet wash bays. The showroom building will be demolished. The application had been submitted previously and was declined but has now been approved.
Checks on water restriction measures in France
The Office Française de la Biodiversité recently conducted checks on car washes in Sainte-Marie, France, to raise awareness of water restriction measures.
The role of the environmental police is to ensure that the prefectural decree of Jan. 17 on limiting water use is correctly applied, and this includes car washes. Suspending the water activity of certain professionals due to the drought is a priority for conserving drinking water.
The operation is intended to educate both individuals and professionals who do not comply with the carwash ban, before moving on to more serious inspections and possible fines of up to 1,500 euros.
Dutch car wash operator adds EV charger to its Amsterdam site
Dutch car wash operator Loogman Carwash has established an electric vehicle (EV) charger at its Tank & Wash location in Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
The company installed the equipment in its vacuum area, featuring two charging points that have a power output of up to 200 kW each. All common charging cards and charging tokens are accepted and the service is only available after washing the car and not sold separately.
Loogman currently operates nine locations across the Randstad region in the Netherlands. The company offers total car care solutions with do-it-yourself car wash stalls and vacuum plazas.
Aysgarth petrol station and jet wash for sale for £485,000
A North Yorkshire petrol station has hit the market, being put up for sale for £485,000. The property, located at Aysgarth Garage in Leyburn, a town in Yorkshire, England, includes a filling station, a large convenience store, post office and jet wash.
The owners highlighted the potential of the former car showroom space for further development, suggesting it could be converted into a café to cater to the classic car and motorbike clubs that frequent the area.
It also includes a two-post ramp and a restoration workshop, currently used for classic car restorations, with space for three cars at the rear.
Wastewater system mandated for Rawalpindi car wash stations
The Environmental Protection and Climate Change Department has issued formal red notices to all 465 car wash service stations in Rawalpindi district, instructing them to install wastewater recycling systems. Rawalpindi is a city in the Pakistani province of Punjab.
The notices were issued in response to the potential severe water crisis created by ongoing drought conditions. All the stations were given a deadline of Feb. 28 to comply.
A complete ban on automatic car washes remains in effect, with a fine of Rs100,000 for violations. High-pressure motor usage for washing cars will incur a Rs10,000 fine.
Appeal lodged after ‘absolutely ridiculous’ Acklam car wash plans rejected
An appeal has been lodged for a rejected residential car wash as the original proposals were labelled “ridiculous” at a recent Middlesbrough (England) Council’s planning and development committee.
Resident Hewa Saleh had submitted the application to build a car wash on his property last year. The council’s planning officers rejected the application last December.
At a Middlesbrough planning committee meeting earlier this month, the application was discussed and a council officer explained why it was not possible to simply reject or ignore the application without first giving it due consideration with one council member calling the plan “absolutely ridiculous.”
The new £70m Metro depot in Gosforth includes a unique car wash
Stadler, the Swiss train manufacturer supplying a fleet of new Metros, has built a new £70m depot in Gosforth, an area in the city of Newcastle upon Tyne, England.
Even Metro cars need cleaning and as part of the new facility, Stadler constructed a large “carriage wash,” which looks more like a giant car wash. The trains are misted upon entry, sprayed with water and then polished by rotating scrubbers before getting blow dried on the way out.
Graffiti on trains remains a problem and Stadler keeps a team that must still complete the laborious work of removing it. But normal washing of the trains has been made much more efficient.
Urmston car wash owner fined £20,000 over noise complaints
The owner of a car wash that has amassed numerous noise complaints from neighbors has been fined £20,000.
Trafford Council officers investigated Soapy Joe’s in Urmston, a town in Trafford, England, after receiving a complaint over excessive noise arising from machinery. A noise abatement notice was served, but breaches continued over the next two years.
Owner John Duffy recently appeared at Manchester magistrate’s court, where he was found guilty of breaches of the notice. He was fined £12,000, and ordered to pay costs of £1,405, compensation of £2,500, and a victim surcharge of £4,600.
Saudi Arabia automatic car wash market on the rise
According to a new analysis by Report Ocean, the automatic car wash market in Saudia Arabia was valued at $113.34 million in 2023 and is expected to grow at an annual rate of 6.1 percent, reaching 169.07 million by 2030.
This growth is attributed to an increased number of vehicles on the road, technological advances in car wash systems, a shift toward eco-friendly washing techniques and the booming automotive sector in the country in general with growing car sales and ownership rates.
Saudi Arabia’s urban population is growing rapidly, leading to a surge in vehicle usage and, consequently, higher demand for car wash service.
Plans for proposed car wash rejected in Coulby Newham in UK
A proposed car wash in the Parkway Shopping Centre in Coulby Newham, a town in North Yorkshire, England, was recently rejected by the Middlesbrough Council planning officers.
The authority cited an increase in vehicles obstructing the free flow of traffic as the reason for turning down the proposal. Plans were originally submitted in November and December of last year and included a car wash, an office area for staff and storage facility.
The applicant can appeal against the decision to the Secretary of State but must do so within 12 weeks of the date of the refusal notice (Feb. 21).
Suffolk car wash among those raided by police in immigration clampdown
A car wash business in an east Suffolk town was among premises raided recently by officers during a clamp down on immigration offences. The Saxmundham Hand Car Wash and two other businesses were raided by immigration officers, Suffolk police and East Suffolk Council.
In total, four people were arrested for immigration offences at the car wash as part of the joint action. The team visited six businesses during the day.
The Home Office said it was determined to stop illegal working and the exploitative treatment of illegal workers.
