Appeal lodged following ‘absolutely ridiculous’ Acklam garden car wash plans rejected

A rejected plan to build a car wash in a residential garden on Acklam Road, Middlesbrough, has sparked an appeal after being slammed as “ridiculous” by the council’s planning committee. Local resident Hewa Saleh submitted the application last year, proposing to turn his garden into a car wash. The idea drew surprise and pushback from the community, though Saleh defended it in an interview with the Local Democracy Reporting Service. Middlesbrough Council’s planning officers turned it down over Christmas, but the story didn’t end there—an appeal was filed shortly after a February planning meeting, keeping the possibility alive.

At the meeting earlier this month, a council officer explained that every application, no matter how unusual, must be properly reviewed before a decision can be made. Labour Councillor Janet Thompson, representing the Ayresome ward where the car wash would sit, cheered the rejection, saying, “Well done for refusing that absurd garden car wash idea on Acklam Road.” Independent Councillor Joan McTigue went further, arguing the council shouldn’t have even entertained it. “It was ridiculous to accept it at all,” she said.

Paul Clarke, head of planning, countered, “We don’t get to pick what people submit, but we can rule on it. If it’s outright nonsense, we’ll say no.” McTigue shot back, “You should’ve told him, ‘Don’t waste your cash!’” Clarke admitted the proposal blindsided them: “It was a total shock, but it was a valid submission, so we had to deal with it.” Conservative Councillor David Coupe quipped, “You washed your hands of it!”

Saleh could have sought pre-application advice from the council but didn’t, jumping straight to the formal submission. Now, with an appeal lodged on February 17—categorised as “written evidence” on the planning portal—the car wash dream isn’t dead yet. The original rejection, detailed in a December delegated report by officer Andrew Glossop, called the refusal airtight, predicting it would hold up if challenged. Still, Saleh had until March 24, 2025—12 weeks from the December 30 rejection—to appeal to Secretary of State Angela Rayner. And so, the debate rolls on.

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