A ‘home-based’ grocery store being run out of a residential garage has infuriated neighbours, who have written to local ministers in the hope of getting it shut down.
Kerala Spices Indian Groceries has been operating on Porter Street in suburban Wright, west Canberra, since 2023.
Nearby residents have claimed the store is a ‘disruption to the community,’ while its owners insist the grocer is a ‘legal home-based business,’ The Canberra Times reported.
A letter to ACT Chief Minister Andrew Barr from neighbour Prasad Abeyrathne described customers as parking on the street and large trucks unloading goods. Dr Abeyrathne said it could pose a risk to children playing on footpaths.
‘This business is now destroying the everyday life of its neighbours; it runs from 6:30am to 11:00pm,’ Dr Abeyrathne said.
‘Throughout the day, there is a continuous flow of traffic to the shop. Interestingly, the owner and the customers of this shop park their vehicles wherever they like.’
The small Indian grocer, which has a slogan that is ‘no compromise for quality’, features racks of packaged foods as well as frozen goods, all squeezed into a single-vehicle garage.
State MLA Marisa Paterson responded to the letter on August 25 and promised to take neighbours’ concerns seriously.
A ‘home-based’ grocery store being run out of a residential garage has seen frustrated neighbours write to local ministers in the hopes of getting it shut down.
Kerala Spices Indian Groceries (pictured) opened on a Canberra residential street. The business’s slogan is ‘No compromise for quality’Â
Lincy Mathew, the owner of Kerala Spices Indian Groceries, slammed the accusations against her business as ‘false and baseless’.
She claimed trucks occasionally visit the street to deliver goods but only late in the evening.Â
‘We are a legal home-based business, operating for two-and-a-half years now. We have an ABN and have approval from the local council,’ Ms Mathew said.Â
Food businesses in the ACT are required to register with the Health Protection Service and follow safe food handling laws.
Registration is only granted after an official from ACT Health has inspected the premises.
Angry neighbours have slammed increased traffic from the business (pictured, the outside of the grocer)
A truck is pictured delivering supplies to the store
It’s understood the grocer does not have a registration certificate on display and Access Canberra is unable to comment on individual cases.
Home businesses are permitted to handle low risk food provided they do not exceed a production area of more than 40sqm or generate over five vehicle arrivals each day.
Daily Mail has contacted Paterson for comment.
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Neighbours shocked as Indian grocery store opens up in suburban garage on a quiet residential street in Australia