Mark Wright, the Cabot ward councillor objecting to the granting of a street food license for Chomp on Cathedral Walk, has called Bristol Culture’s coverage of the story “disappointingly one-sided”.
“This is social housing, not posh flats,” Wright (right) confusingly reminds readers, describing the flats next to which Chomp have been successfully trading – albeit mistakenly without the correct license – for several months.
Wright has also waded into a similar debate about The Spotless Leopard, which also looks set not to be granted a street food license by Bristol City Council in the new year. Read more here.
The vegan van hoping to trade on the junction of Alma Road and Whiteladies Road has received two objections, including one stating that there are already enough vegetarian and vegan restaurants in the area.
This is an area which as Spotless Leopard owner Louise Abel states, has within two minutes’ walk a Sainsbury’s, Starbucks, Costa and Domino’s.
“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,” Lib Dem councillor Wright added.
“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.”
Adam Gasson summed up the thoughts of many in his own comment about Chomp’s situation:
“Cllr Wright,
“Costa Coffee operated within Bristol without correct planning permission for months, your council had no objections to this despite very strong objections from local people and traders. Now you’re opposing an independent vendor who operates outside of a Costa branch. Have Tesco or Costa complained about Chomp? No. Have any of the residents lodged an official complaint? No.
“You talk about the intrusive smells from Chomp yet neither yourself nor Sally Holt felt they were bad enough to be included in your objections to the council…
“You say residents have complained to you yet not a single resident was bothered enough to lodge a complaint to the council. The van is there for a single day a week. I’d dare say that the local construction traffic, which starts much earlier, is as much if not more intrusive to sleeping children.
“I regularly walk and cycle through the area. It’s depressing. Boarded up commercial units and anonymous chains that don’t reflect the actual vibrancy that Bristol trades on.”
Whike I agree in principal that fixed premise businesses should be protected from low-overhead, mobile competition… citing residents’ complaints’ as a reason to halt trading is facile. How many residents have complained about recent Tesco, Morrisons and Sainsbury’s plans? And those complaints contained grounds of both competition and noise pollution.
No matter how well intentioned councillor’s initial motives may be, it’s fostering an environment where chains get protection and fast tracking while local businesses are strangled in red tape.
Apologies for typos, hammering in disgust while on the move.
Martin, this latest post of yours now clearly strays into a quite blatant attempt to misrepresent the truth. 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.
Yet you have taken my objection to “Chomp” – which I clearly objected to on behalf of residents after “Chomp” set up their noisy burger van early in the morning right under the bedroom windows of children living in Anchor Point social housing – then selectively quoted that objection to “Chomp” and presented it as though I used that quote against a different application by “The Spotless Leopard”.
Finally, as I keep pointing out, I suggested a suitable location nearby for “Chomp” that wasn’t under the bedrooms of residents’ flats. Instead of pursuing this slightly strange grudge against me, why not urge your friends at “Chomp” to put in an application for the spot I suggested?