A KEBAB van owner has won permission to trade from a Downend pub car park, despite objections from dozens of neighbours.
South Gloucestershire councillors granted Ismail Buyukpolat a street trading licence to trade from a hot food trailer called Downend Kebabs from 4pm to 11pm every day at the Trident pub in Badminton Road.
A total of 27 residents and the parish council objected, raising concerns including cooking smells, noise, increased litter and parking and the potential for antisocial behaviour.
One neighbour told the licensing sub-committee hearing on March 27: “The main objection is the proximity of the trailer to the surrounding properties, which will inevitably be subjected to smells produced by the cooking process.
“The position is very close to neighbours’ properties. Cooking smells would unreasonably and substantially interfere with the enjoyment of our homes and gardens.
“I’m concerned about the noise from this trailer.
“I didn’t expect a fast-food outlet to be established there and it will undoubtedly attract groups of people in cars every evening, seven days a week.”
The neighbour said there were already enough takeaways in the area, and the van would “generate additional rubbish”.
He said the pub car park was often full in the evening, so customers would park on surrounding roads, including Blackhorse Lane.
The van would become a “permanent fixture” because, although it had to be moved from its trading site at the end of each day, the plan was for it to remain in the car park but closer to the pub, which licensing officers said complied with regulations.
The neighbour said: “This is a totally inappropriate position for the unit.”
Mr Buyukpolat told the panel he had run a kebab van for many years and had never had any problems.
He said the pub had given him permission to use its toilets, bins and electricity, so he would not need a generator, which could have created noise for neighbours.
Mr Buyukpolat said waste cooking oil would be stored safely in a barrel and collected weekly, and that he would clear any litter at the end of each shift.
As the sub-committee approved the licence for six months, chairman Keith Cranney (Con, Stoke Gifford) said no objections had been received from the authorities and that the van would be subject to separate controls from the council’s environmental health team.
He said the conditions on the licence would be sufficient to alleviate residents’ concerns.
By Adam Postans, Local Democracy Reporting Service