Plans cooked up for kebab van in heart of Witney (From Witney Gazette)

Plans cooked up for kebab van in heart of Witney

7:00am Wednesday 29th August 2012 in News By Tom Jennings, covering Witney and West Oxfordshire. Call me on 01865 425403

A CONTROVERSIAL licence application could see a kebab van operating in the heart of Witney town centre.

Alex Ulusoy wants to park his van in Market Square, outside the Post Office, from 11pm to 2am, seven days a week.

He currently runs his van, Alex’s Kebab, in Carterton, but hopes to take advantage of Witney’s nightlife.

But the application has drawn letters of objection from Witney Town Council, two residents and Lloyds TSB Bank, which has a branch in Market Square.

They said the van could increase crime and disorder in the town centre, while the bank said the van would create a potential security risk by obscuring its cashpoint machines.

But Mr Ulusoy said: “We don’t want to cause any trouble. We’re just looking to cook food and send people away afterwards. We don’t want them hanging around.”

He said the van would not obstruct the cashpoints and would bring more customers to Lloyds, because he would only take cash.

Mr Ulusoy added: “I have run a kebab van in this area for 20 years and I want to do a bit of trade in Witney. It’s busier and there are more people around than Carterton. Witney looks like Oxford now, because it has expanded.”

He said that if a licence was granted, he would start operating in Witney “as soon as possible”.

There is already a kebab van operating nearby, in the car park at the Woolgate Centre, and the Witney Kebab House takeaway is just round the corner in Corn Street.

Witney Town Council has told West Oxfordshire District Council that the application should be refused for “the prevention of crime and disorder and for the prevention of public nuisance”.

It said: “Witney Town Council vigorously objects to this application as it considers it would be detrimental to the area due to the lack of parking, the additional refuse/litter a kebab van will create and the large number of drunk people that will congregate within this area.”

Lloyds Banking Group said: “There is a potential security risk around the cashpoints, with them being hidden from view by the kebab van. There is also concern around the additional waste which will potentially be created around the branch each evening.”

Thames Valley Police has yet to give its response to the proposal. The district council’s licensing panel will  consider the application on September 11.