COUNCILLORS have rejected plans to add a launderette onto the end of a Co-op service station.

The 24-hour launderette was proposed by applicant TG Convenience Stores for the service station in Marske Road, Saltburn, with the plans also including an external chiller.

Claire Griffiths, Redcar and Cleveland Council’s development services manager, said it would be on the end of the building as a standalone structure and not accessed from inside the Co-op.

But members of the council’s regulatory committee were bemused by the proposal. Councillor Cliff Foggo said: “It is not an appropriate place to have a launderette. It will be visible from the highway and from other residential properties around.

“Do you really want to watch other people doing their dirty washing?

“There is also already a launderette on Milton Street where people can walk in and do their washing.”

Saltburn ward Councillor Philip Thomson said the 24-hour launderette was inappropriate for the location and no additional car parking was proposed when existing car parking was already extremely limited.

He was also worried about noise levels from the chiller which could be intrusive to nearby homes. Cllr Thomson said the plans were a “non-starter” for the location in question.

He said: “There are frequent concerns there about parking and the capacity for people to pass safely.

“To have it [the laundrette] on a 24 hour basis in a residential area is really nonsensical.”

Councillor Malcolm Head said: “You’ve got three machines very close to the edge of the pavement where people will stand or sit in their car.

“There are only three parking places with the service station and I don’t think it is an appropriate location,  and it’s also a traffic hazard.”

Councillor Neil Baldwin suggested the launderette was a good idea in theory, but was in the wrong place.

Councillor Mary Ovens claimed it could hit tourism in Saltburn.

She said: “It could undo tourism efforts, is this really what we want to show people on their way into Saltburn?”

Planning committee chairman Councillor Stuart Smith said it was disappointing the applicant or agent were not available to speak on the application.

He said: “It is a prominent feature and would have a negative impact on the street scene.

“You might find something like this in a town centre where perhaps there is a high student population, not in a residential location on the outskirts.

“It is a badly thought out idea.”

Nine members of the committee voted against the application, which was recommended for approval by council officers, with none for.