Slough Council approves 'greasy' doner kebab van licence

Applicant Muhammed Afzaal has asked permission to sell hot meals from his Grill King food van at the Cippenham Lane service road, opposite the Earl of Cornwall pub in Slough, from 1pm to 2am seven days a week.

He also wants to vary the licence to sell doner kebabs and burgers from 12pm to 3am on national holidays.

However, objections made by residents, the council’s resilience and enforcement team, a nearby fish and chips shop, and Thames Valley Police (TVP), as well as a petition that was signed by 14 locals triggered a licensing sub-committee for councillors to consider.

JK Fish and Chips lodged an objection to the licence

Speaking at the hearing on Thursday, June 23, a husband and wife, who lived in the area for 30 years, said: “Would anyone want that [food van] outside their house?

“We feel there’s already adequate provision for food outlets in our area. It’s swamped with food. We don’t see the justification for another one and it’s just not necessary.

“I don’t think there’s any demand for the food van. If they [residents] want food, they would just do Deliveroo or something like that. They will not come out of their houses to look for a burger.”

As the food van would be in a residential area, TVP and the council’s resilience and enforcement team believed it would ‘seriously affect’ the quality of residents’ lives and the potential for crime and disorder.

READ MORE: Slough fish and chips shop objects to doner kebab van plan

Locals were concerned about the odour from the ‘greasy’ fast food and the littering around the area would impact their way of living.

But Mr Azfaal’s legal representative said the food van, which will drive off from the area when closed, will only be there for 12 months and there is no evidence or data to suggest this will create or amplify existing problems.

He also said calling their food ‘greasy,’ “boarders on a racist reason” because its offer is a cultural food offering and there’s no evidence that it would be anymore greasier than the nearby fish and chips shop.

The legal representative said: “We also find it unsettling, given the number of objections, there’s a suggestion of overt bias and covert discrimination.

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“The references to grease, smell, crime, and anti-social behaviour are almost typecasting a community and unfair and should be seriously considered whether these are legitimate objections to your determination of the licensing application.”

He also said: “[The applicant] is motivated to be a good corporate citizen. He believes he will provide a good service, and this is a licensing application for 12 months.

“If the corporate citizen is not behaving well if the issues arise from the location, the licence will simply be revoked and not be renewed.”

Councillors ultimately decided to grant Grill King its licence but amended it for the serving of food to last from 1pm to 11pm seven days a week and imposed a condition to ensure the area is litter-free.