Permission had previously been granted for the siting and operation of a hot food van in the Sussex Square car park in August 2023.
However, the approval was temporary and lasted three years.
After August 7, 2026, the mobile business had to cease trading and submit a new planning application to assess whether it could remain there.
A hot food van has been refused permission to return to Sussex Square. (Image: “Andrea Izzotti “)
This proposal has been refused due to concerns from the council’s public health team.
The team objected to the plan, highlighting that the van’s proximity to schools could worsen local obesity problems, particularly among children.
The environmental health team did not object, provided there was a condition to regulate the van’s operating hours.
The proposed hot food van would have been operated by two members of staff from 4pm to 11pm, seven days a week.
It was on a main walking route on the same side of Queens Drive as the New College campus, and near Brimble Hill School and Lainesmead Primary School.
The planning application’s agent argued that Brimble Hill’s school day finished well before the van opened at 4pm and that Lainesmead pupils would have to cross a dual carriageway to reach it and have no money to spend on takeaways.
He also pointed out that there is a Subway hot food takeaway branch on Sussex Place and that the planning team had no issue with the original planning application three years ago.
That Subway in Unit 2 filed an objection, arguing that the proposal would cause harm through increased traffic, congestion, highway safety risks, and unsafe pedestrian movements.
It also cited the loss of essential parking spaces, obstruction to customers, suppliers, and courier vehicles, noise disturbance, cooking odours, and visual clutter.
Further objections included increased litter, inadequate waste management, environmental harm from food packaging and disposable utensils, the potential attraction of rodents and other pests, and harm to the amenity of neighbouring businesses.
The council’s report concluded: “The proposed hot food takeaway van is within reasonable walking distance of nearby educational establishments.
“The serving of unhealthy foods to children and young people would detract from their health and wellbeing, and overall would exacerbate local public health concerns around obesity.
“It is judged that the proposal’s significant adverse public health impact would significantly and demonstrably outweigh the proposal’s modest economic growth benefits.”