First it was Chomp who had councillor Mark Wright complaining that their burgers sold every Friday morning from a converted horse van on Cathedral Walk in the harbourside should not get a trading license because they would compete unfairly with nearby businesses such as Tesco (read the full story here).
Now vegan street food vendor The Spotless Leopard also looks set to miss out on a trading pitch where Alma Road meets Whiteladies Road thanks to two objections sent to Bristol City Council.
This objection from local resident David O’Keefe bizarrely states that there are already enough vegetarian and vegan restaurants in the area.
And this objection from Ryan & McKee Architects of Alma Road says that the van “would be visually unsightly and occupy an area used by the public for general ‘milling around’”, which is nonsense as there are regularly more pigeons here than people.
The Spotless Leopard was founded just over a year ago by 24-year-old Louise Abel. All its products are vegan, Louise uses only recycled and biodegradable packaging and the main supplier is Bristol-based fair trade and organic food co-operative, Essential.
“Comments I have received from customers point out that my van adds to the vibrancy of the area rather than detracts from it,” Louise says responding to one point in the first objection.
“I also find it bizarre that I’m considered unfair competition when Morrisons recently opened just across the road and within two minutes’ walk of the proposed pitch are Sainsbury’s, Starbucks, Costa and Domino’s.”
Bristol City Council’s public safety and protection committee intend to refuse both The Spotless Leopard and Chomp’s applications for street trading licenses at a meeting on January 7.
It would be a crying shame if this set a precedent in a city which in Katie & Kim, who until earlier this year traded from a converted horse box on Stokes Croft, are the official British Street Food Awards 2013 Best of the Best and Beats hold the accolade for Best Street Food Collective.
OMG!! Bristol is dire for street food!
Below is the email I have sent to the protection committee (licensing@bristol.gov.uk) and the responsible councillor (sarah.flower@bristol.gov.uk). Feel free to adapt and send if you feel strongly!
Dear Sarah and Bristol Council public safety and protection committee,
I recently read with some dismay the likely refusal of a trading license for street food vendor The Spotless Leopard.
These are precisely the sort of businesses Bristol should be getting behind, and why Bristol has such a distinctive character. It is certainly not the chain outlets and restaurants that give Bristol its unique character and appeal.
I work very close to the proposed location of the trading pitch on Alma Road and would welcome a healthy, ethical, independent outlet from which I could buy my lunch.
There is a concern that unfair barriers are being placed in the way of independent businesses while new applications for supermarkets and branded chain outlets face few barriers, evidenced by the recent opening of Morrisons on Whiteladies Road. There is no reason in the interests of public safety, competition or protection why these applications should be refused.
Independent businesses such as these create jobs, generate footfall and potential new revenue for a local area and should be encouraged. I urge you to reconsider what I understand to be the likely refusal of a trading license for The Spotless Leopard at the hearing scheduled for January 7th.
I totally agree. Independent, locally based, traders are what make any city special.
Email sent. We need to support indetendent businesses who add to not only the diversity of our city centre but generate income that is local not international. Shame on Bristol if it declines these licences.
I would love to know about these multiple vegetarian and vegan options David O’Keefe is referring to. As a vegan living locally I find it really hard to get tasty, healthy vegan options. Especially for food-on-the go.
It seems completely nonsensical for a Council to refuse such a fair and well-thought out application for a small local business. I have tasted Louise’s food on a number of occasions now and can honestly say that the major chains can’t hold a candle to the quality, freshness and standard of food offered by The Spotless Leopard. From reading the other notes and comments, it seems that the objections are totally unjustified and really make no sense. Surely Bristol Council ought to be promoting small business, rather than concentrating on the major supermarket chains. After all, AsDa started off as a small dairy business, then grew. Give small businesses a break. I really don’t understand how a couple of minor and unfounded objections should be able to stop an application from being granted. Do Bristol Council want local business and go with the majority, or are they very short-sighted and let a couple of ludicrous niggles spoil such a great opportunity. Does Bristol Council hope small businesses will choose to move further afield and take business out of the area?!? Surely not! I await the ‘hearing’ result after 7th January with anticipation….. Nick W
As I pointed out in your other inaccurate thread, the objection to Chomp was because the burger van was in an inappropriate place underneath the bedrooms of a block of residential flats. Residents have complained about their children being woken up first thing in the morning by generator and engine noise. I suggested a better location for it nearby.
I then also pointed out “there is no shortage of fast food outlets in the area and there is a strong argument that allowing trailer vendors who pay no rates to compete unfairly with venues who pay rates and high rents for their locations is unfair in principle”. I often have retailers in the centre and Triangle (including “nice, ethical, independent” ones) complaining to me about mobile food vans turning up and competing with them without paying any rent or rates to the city. Tesco is not a *fast food* burger venue last time I looked, and I never even mentioned Tesco. So, if you would stop grinding your axe over Chomp’s licence for a minute it would be helpful if you gave more objective write-up on these situations.
Dear Councillor,
sadly, your response detracts from the points being made:
The Spotless Leopard is not a “fast food outlet”. Louise sells freshly-made produce, not pre-packed or microwaved trash.
Does an off-road food-van make more noise than people in an adjacent store/shop?
As per my previous comment (awaiting moderation), does Bristol Council not see that allowing small businesses to trade will encourage them to grow, so they can become large enough to warrant paying the large rates and rents for premises? Acorns…!?!
As pointed out, Louise uses other local businesses to source many of her ingredients and you don’t appear to post any list of people ‘in favour’ of her application being granted. It’s a very typical ‘politician’ response, that doesn’t actually deal with the matter in hand.
Surely The Spotless Leopard would be financially liable for some ‘rental space’ for her van, so it’s not as if Bristol Council would not be benefitting anyway.
So,.. to put it bluntly, what IS the actual problem? Why are you seemingly listening to the minority (2 people, I presume)?!?
Nick W
Nick, I have never heard of “The Spotless Leopard”. I have never objected to them. I don’t know where, who, or what they do. As it isn’t in the ward I represent I have no interest in their case. I have never mentioned them, ever, in any objection to anything. Martin Booth has portrayed my objection to the “Chomp” burger van as being against “The Spotless Leopard”, and it has clearly worked.
The “Chomp” burger van wants to be based under the bedrooms of a block of flats. I suggested a nearby location that wouldn’t wake residents up early in the morning, but evidently it isn’t to the liking of “Chomp”, or Martin.
Food vans do pay daily rents to the council.
If it’s so easy, why don’t they all do it?
Yes Cllr Mark Wright, please try to get your facts right!
Dear Cllr Wright, It’s quite rich of you to advocate objective write-ups when you publish political propaganda such as this which masquerades as a local newsletter: http://www.cabot-liberals.org/Cabot/201303_Cabot_News.pdf
Dear Councillor,
Your snide reference to “nice,ethical, independent” retailers is unbecoming of an elected official. All people want to see is a sense of fairness.
Supermarket developments across the city have in recent years received thousands of legitimate objections yet been waved through. So when independent food stalls without the huge resources of the big supermarkets are refused a trading license on the basis of two spurious objections, people’s sense of fairness is rightly aroused.
I’m sorry but last time I checked there are very few if any vegetarian/vegan restaurants on Whiteladies road. Louise’s van wouldn’t be in competition with other businesses because she would be providing food that ISN’T already on offer elsewhere. I have worked for the Spotless Leopard and can tell you that
A. It is not unsightly, it is small and decorated with bunting.
B. Most food served is already prepared so food smells aren’t even an issue.
As someone who lives in an area of Bristol where local traders are strongly supported, I have to say Whiteladies road is fast becoming a clone of any other street in Britain, which chains popping up all over the place. Independent traders are what make a city special and should be supported by the council and allowed to trade regardless of whether they are in a permanent premises or whether they are a moving vendor as long as they are willing to pay rates to the council, which Louise would be and probably does anyway.
It is very sad that the council are totally unaware of the quality of food served by the spotless leopard. Such a shame that they are unable to see what benefits this outlet would bring to the area, there are no other food outlets of this type for many miles, maybe the council should do more research on this rather than rely on one persons selfish opinion. They would discover an altogether more healthy and clean outlet than the neighboring businesses
That corner of Whiteladies and Alma Rd is currently full of Christmas trees being sold, and there’s often a recycling van parked there at lunchtimes, so I’m not sure why a food van would be such a problem.
You should be excited by and encouraging food like this. We have enough rubbish soulless food outlets around, embrace independent and heart felt fantastic grub that we are lucky to have. Do you really think we all want to eat Tesco and Subway for lunch? Bristol has an opportunity to keep growing in the right way, supporting healthy and local food is clearly a good thing. Why not just flatten St Nicks next and build another Costa?? it’s a no brainer.
It is about fairness, and I think the local councillor is being treated pretty roughly here. He spoke up for local residents in a local planning application, yet he is being posited as an anti independent tesco loving individual. If people want to take out their ire on the councils planning decisions it would be more useful to look a bit further up the chain than a ward councillor sticking up for local residents.
There were two objections. So Councillor Ward may have been sticking up for local residents, but he was sticking up for a pretty slim minority.
Councillor Wright