A controversial plan for a new burger stall on land next to a Derby pub has been thrown out due to environmental risks and the impact it could have on traffic. Derby City Council has refused a licensing application from Grilled Out Ltd to install a new burger trailer on land at St Thomas Road next to the Pear Tree Inn pub in Normanton, saying the location is not suitable.
During the application process for street trading consent, environmental concerns were raised by residents to the city council which triggered a licensing meeting to be held last week. Nearby residents complained the new burger trailer would cause noise issues and bad smells, as well as traffic concerns.
One resident said: “The smell of food will linger in the air and we will be unable to open our windows in the summer as the smell will waft through our homes so we have to suffer as a consequence. It will also add to the air pollution, with the constant heavy traffic we already have. It will generate significant problems, cars parked on double yellow lines and on residents’ fronts potentially creating an atmosphere with customers gathering and hanging out in the car park.”
The application was submitted by Derby resident Imran Zafar who told the licensing committee (of three serving councillors) last Thursday (July 6) that the preferred location was decided following feedback from the community, and he was willing to close the trailer earlier at night to address concerns. The planned opening hours would have been between noon and midnight seven days a week.
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Mr Zafar said: “What we are willing to do is to facilitate the people who have complained and work around the timeframe when the pub closes and we could close around that time as well. In terms of parking on the private land, there are seven parking spaces which we’ve got full access to, so it won’t cause any issues for the public or traffic passing by because they are completely off the road. There wouldn’t be any mess.”
But Derby City Council did not agree with Mr Zafar’s stance and refused the plans, mainly on traffic grounds – saying the burger trailer was not appropriate for the area. The council concluded there was a big risk that traffic would frequently build up during busy periods in what is a built-up area.
A decision notice by the authority says: “The sub-committee resolved to refuse the application for a street trading consent for Grilled Out Ltd to trade at 151 St Thomas Road, Derby. Having considered all of the available evidence the sub-committee was not satisfied that the proposed trading location was suitable due to the close proximity to a built-up residential area and nearby residents, and the impact the trailer would have on public safety (due to the risk of customers parking on and obstructing the highway) and public nuisance (due to the risk of nuisance to the public from noise, refuse, vermin, fumes and odour), and the lack of commercial need, given the number of other traders in the vicinity of the application site, and was therefore not capable of meeting the requirements of the council’s street trading policy.
“The sub-committee was clear that they were, in principle, in favour of applications of this nature, but the proposed location was not acceptable, due to the impact on residents.”
