An Ipswich car wash company has again been refused permission to install a canopy, with members of the Jewish community raising concerns over how a nearby cemetery would be affected.
Mint Car Wash Ltd at Slade Street car park sought permission from Ipswich Borough Council to erect the temporary canopy in August of this year.
A similar application made in 2019 was rejected, as was a request to install an illuminated advertising display the following year.
The council has now rejected this latest application, stating that “the proposal would add to a growing visual confusion at the site” and “detract from the heritage significance of this location.”
The site is located adjacent to Ipswich’s historic Jewish cemetery, which was first in use in 1797.
In a letter to the council, Rabbi Yeshaya Schlesinger, of the London-based Committee for the Preservation of Jewish Cemeteries in Europe, said that he has received multiple enquiries about this application
He explained that a series of smaller applications such as this can be harmful to historic Jewish cemeteries, as they lead to the deterioration of the sites as historical assets. This made it more difficult to “see would-be developers off".
A planning statement prepared by Planning Direct on behalf of Mint Car Wash said: “The long-term future of the cemetery and surrounding area is difficult to foresee given the distinct difficulty in developing the site given the position of the cemetery in the middle of what is effectively an island site surrounded by highway.
“But notwithstanding that concern, the long-term preservation of the Jewish cemetery, its setting and the setting of the other heritage assets in the area is clearly a matter for a large-scale and detailed development proposal when and if one is proposed.”
Rabbi Schlesinger specifically referenced these lines, and said his group found the wording “deeply offensive to the religious beliefs of all Jews".
He said: “In Jewish law, a Jewish cemetery possesses an even greater sanctity and holiness than that of a synagogue.
“All that is left of Ipswich’s Second Historic Jewish Community […] is now contained within this small Jewish cemetery, a site small in structure but gigantic in history, religiosity and integrity.”
He added that the site was a testament to the Jewish Community of the 18th and 19th centuries, and the non-Jewish Ipswich residents who welcomed them.
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