The manager of a car wash business has hit back at criticism made by the Dover Society and the Lib-Dems’ parliamentary candidate Sarah Smith.

The CMW Group received retrospective planning permission to continue its car wash service in August.

The Dover Society (DS) has written to the leader of the council, Paul Watkins, saying its close proximity to the Dover Town Investment Zone will “downgrade the attractiveness” of the area and that the car wash service is “spoiling the view’ of Grade II listed building, Castle Hill House, directly behind it.” Mrs Smith echoed the views, saying “Castle Hill house has been treated like it is nothing special.”

Manager Gary Amner has now replied to the critics. In a letter seen by the Mercury, he says: “I am totally staggered by the comments made by the Dover Society and Lib Dems’ Sarah Smith.

The manager was disappointed to hear that the Dover Society felt the car wash would “downgrade the attractiveness”of the proposed DTIZ project, set to be in place by summer 2016.

The letter continued: “Do they not remember how the site was before we resurrected it?

“How rundown it was with abandoned cars on it, the building falling apart, is this how these people want to see this site?”

Read the full report and reaction in this week's Mercury, out tomorrow.