Network Rail, GTR, and Greater Anglia are claiming that they can build an industrial trainwash in a residential area without the kind of planning oversight that most development requires. We think that’s wrong – for us, and for all UK communities. 

In Cambridge, the railways want to build a 33m long, 9m high, 7m wide trainwash, operating 24/7 just 25m behind residents' houses on Great Eastern Street, in the middle of the Mill Road Conservation Area. For details, see quashthetrainwash.com.

We are not alone. A trainwash has already been built in Scarborough that is making residents' lives a misery. A similar trainwash is being proposed in Wednesbury.

We are not anti-rail. We all depend on the railway, choose to live near it, and would be content for it to continue as is. Our concern is for the industrial scale of these proposed facilities and where they could be appropriately situated. 

How could this happen? The railways rely on two sets of laws and regulations to enable 'permitted development' without planning oversight, the Railways Clauses Consolidation Act 1845 (RCC Act 1845) and the Town and Country Planning (General Permitted Development) Order 2015. Together these laws and regulations give the railways a great deal of scope to build for operational purposes. But it's not all-encompassing.

Development is not permitted when the purpose is an "industrial process". The GPDO 2015 Part 8, A.1 (c)(i) says that development is not permitted (without planning approval) when it is a “construction or erection otherwise than wholly within a railway station of – (i) …a building used for an industrial process…”.

Cleaning is an “industrial process”. The GDPO 2015 defines an industrial process as “a process for or incidental to any of the following purposes … (b) the altering, repairing, maintaining, ornamenting, finishing, cleaning, washing, packing, canning, adapting for sale, breaking up or demolition of any article….”

Network Rail says that the trainwash is for cleaning, but defies logic to claim that this is not relevant. In a letter to residents on 06 March 2020, Network Rail said that the facilty is for cleaning: "As the proposed carriage wash is for the cleaning of trains within a railway depot, it is not considered that this represents an ‘industrial process’ and therefore does not meet the definition." 

If we are right, Network Rail may have to go through a full planning approval process. And that would be good for us and any other UK community who want a say about a major industrial development with a serious impact on their lives.

This is just the beginning. In this first phase, we are testing our logic. The legal team will help us decide if we have a case that might allow further action with respect to the Local Planning Authority (Cambridge City Council), the railway companies (Network Rail, GTR, Greater Anglia), and their contractors (Spencer).

How much we are raising? Our legal team has provided a quote for their initial advice in the range of £2040 (£1700 + VAT) to £3240 (£2700 +VAT). We know times are tough. We'd love donations of between £50 and £100, but please give according to you means. 

Thank you. If you can give, wonderful. If you can not, please sign and share our petition. Any support, however small, is greatly appreciated.