Burger van plan rejected Unanimous verdict on Promenade fast food bid
AMAN’S bid to sell burgers and chips from a van in Cheltenham town centre has been rejected. Maximilian Ilau wanted to trade from a Mercedes Sprinter van to be placed on a paved area of the Promenade near Cavendish House, for eight hours a day and seven days a week.
He applied to Cheltenham Borough Council for street trading consent to sell beef burgers, chicken burgers, chicken wings, loaded chips and soft drinks from the vehicle.
It would have been set up on the paved area at the northern end of Promenade, close to its junction with Imperial Circus.
The proposals attracted several objections including from Cheltenham Civic Society which said the idea was “absurd, downmarket and totally wrong for the town centre”.
Licensing chiefs who considered the scheme at the licensing sub-committee on October 5 said the plans went against their policy.
Officers said the applicant was asked for more information about the vehicle including photographs of it.
Councillors also wanted to know which way the van would be facing.
But no further information was forthcoming and while Mr Ilau was invited to attend the hearing he did not. “There have been various attempts to contact the applicant to ask them to attend of which it has been impossible to contact them,” a licensing officer told the meeting.
Councillor Angie Boyes (LD, Charlton Kings) said it was quite tricky to get a clear picture of what they were looking at as they did not have much information to go by. She said there were already at least four burger establishments within 250 metres of the proposed site for the van.
“I’m not convinced we need another burger offering in the area. I’ve got concerns about the smells and emissions of the vehicle. I don’t see any reasons we should deviate from the policy here so I would be thinking along the lines of refusing this.”
Councillor Simon Wheeler (LD, Hesters Way) echoed those sentiments and said the committee was very restricted with the amount of information they had.
“This is a busy area and quite frankly I don’t want to see too much vending in this place anyway. I really don’t think this is a suitable application.”
The committee voted unanimously to reject the proposals.
I’m not convinced we need another burger offering in the area. I’ve got concerns about the smells and emissions of the vehicle.
Councillor Angie Boyes