Preston car wash seeks permission to stay open after enforcement notice issued
A Preston car wash has been served an enforcement notice for operating without planning permission.
Preston Super Wash, located at 476-484 New Hall Lane submitted a retrospective planning application at the end of last month for a ‘change of use from dry cleaners (Class E) to hand carwash and vehicle repair centre (sui generis)”.
In the application, Preston Super Wash confirms it has been open as a car wash and valeting service “since a time between October 2018 and before June 2021”, with a tyre retail service introduced in January 2025.
Despite operating for at least the past five years, the firm is now seeking approval from Preston City Council as it was issued with an Enforcement Warning Notice on October 28 2025 for an ‘alleged breach of condition’.
In the notice, Preston City Council states that the change of use from a dry cleaner to a hand car wash and vehicle repair centre was done "without planning permission.”
The authority then ordered the business to “submit a planning application for the development” or cease operation within 35 days of the notice.
Preston Super Car wash did not submit the planning application or cease operation within that time frame but it has since done both.
A week before submitting the retrospective application to the council, Preston Super Wash issued a voluntary strike off on February 17 2026.
In the application’s design and access statement, the planning agent states that the site “has a longstanding history of vehicular servicing uses, having previously accommodated an automatic car wash, as evidenced in planning application 06/19800/076, before Johnson Cleaners occupied it.”
The statement explains that approval is sought “to confirm the site's lawful ongoing use”.
As well as explaining the historical context on the site, the agent also outlines the benefits of Preston Super Car Wash’s new addition, the tyre retail unit, stating that it “enhance[s] the site’s utility to the local community.
Explaining how the site addresses environmental and residential concerns, the agent states that “Worn tyres will transported to specialist traders for recycling” before outlining:
“•Tyre servicing machinery, such as air compressors and fitting equipment, is fully contained within the main structure, significantly reducing operational noise.
“• The motors and pumps used for the hand car wash are also housed within a container located at the rear of the property, providing acoustic and visual screening from adjacent properties.
“These measures ensure the operations remain discreet, with negligible disturbance to local residents or businesses. The layout, operational procedures, and equipment placement have all been designed to uphold a positive relationship with the surrounding community. ”
Preston City Council is due to issue its decision by Friday, March 20.
The Lancashire Post did attempt to contact Preston Super Wash but the number attached to the site -under the company name ‘Supersonic Carwash’ on Google - did not work.