Amex burger van owner banned from Falmer station

8:21am Wednesday 10th October 2012 in News By Neil Vowles

BANNED: Gerard McGill BANNED: Gerard McGill

A burger van owner has been told he can no longer sell hot snacks to football fans.

A government inspector has told Gerard McGill that he cannot run his food outlet near the car park of Falmer Station on Albion match days.

Mr McGill had appealed to the inspector against Brighton and Hove City Council, which had told him he could not run the mobile hot food and drink take-away in the back garden of a home in Station Approach, Brighton.

Residents had complained that the cooking smells, noise and litter generated by supporters queuing by Peckish Snack Bar had ruined their weekends and evenings.

The burger seller had been operating near the station under a temporary licence ever since the new £100 million American Express Community Stadium opened in August 2011.

However in February, he was given one month to shut down his business after the council ruled he was operating without planning permission.

Mr McGill submitted two planning applications for permanent permission but the council says both were returned to him as key information was missing.

On average, more than 9,000 fans used Falmer Station for every Albion game last season.

In his appeal, Mr McGill asked for approval to run his business for 28 days a year only.

However, Government officials dismissed the appeal and upheld the original enforcement notice due to the unacceptable effects on neighbouring homes.

Martin Randall, Brighton and Hove City Council’s head of planning, said: “We are pleased that the government planning inspector has upheld our decision to service an enforcement notice on Mr McGill.

“Although the council is committed to encouraging small businesses, we also have to ensure that they are located in appropriate sites and do not have a negative impact on residential properties.

“We hope that Mr McGill will now act swiftly to remove the van so that residents can once again enjoy the peace and privacy of their homes and gardens.”

Mr McGill was unavailable for comment.

Comments(28)

Jimmy Stewart's Imaginary Rabbit says...
8:58am Wed 10 Oct 12

Boo! His burgers are better (and cheaper) than those in the Amex - and the queue's shorter too.

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qm says...
9:06am Wed 10 Oct 12

Does sound a little suspicious . . . Martin has a free season ticket perhaps?

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saraman says...
9:07am Wed 10 Oct 12

Could The Albion have had a hand in this?

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john5001 says...
9:09am Wed 10 Oct 12

theres nothing like abit of compation ? well come on fans do your bit

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Goldenwight says...
9:21am Wed 10 Oct 12

1. He hasn't been banned from Falmer Station.

2. He ran a business from a nearby garden, with temporary planning permission to do so.

3. He failed (apparently through his own incompetence) to secure planning permission to continue.

5. Government Officials did not tell him to do anything, they merely upheld the decision of B&H Council.

6. There is nothing preventing him from running his business provding he seeks and receives the necessary permissions.

That it a pathetic attempt at misdirection by the Argus. If I were the author I would hang my head in shame.

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Nikski says...
9:27am Wed 10 Oct 12

Just a guy trying to run a business/support his family and show a bit of enterprise.....
isn't this something to be applauded/supported?

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brighton1966 says...
9:27am Wed 10 Oct 12

Well as a first time visitor for the Birmingham game the half time catering is disgusting, I suggest Mr Bloom and his lackies go down a couple of levels and find out what the real fan endures. So my friend said get up a couple of minutes before half time and go to the bar which already had lines about roughly 10 mins to get served and neck down a pint in five with a pie, whilst a few pints where waiting why not pay for one of those 20 pint a time pullers instead of a slack jawed minimum wage getting flustered trying to keep up with everyone getting peed off.

luckily the floodlights failed as well.

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Nathan_Adler says...
9:31am Wed 10 Oct 12

If he sold veggie burgers made with halal lentils and had a coloured rainbow on his van, the Greens would totally support him.

More red tape trying to get in the eay of a man making an honest living.

Shame on you B&H council, shame on you!!

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Ozimandias says...
10:08am Wed 10 Oct 12

If local authorities did not regulate mobile food outlets there would be vans all over the place and local residents would suffer noise and cooking smells.
Perhaps Network rail could offer a buffet franchise on Falmer station and this man could apply for it!

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Tailgaters Anonymous says...
10:27am Wed 10 Oct 12

..28 days a year! some hope!

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Hoarder12345444 says...
10:39am Wed 10 Oct 12

the houses complain of noises and smells and yet live right next one of the fastest parts of the A27?? Please. It's pathetic. Clearly something behind them doing this. Feel for the fella.

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Nick Brighton says...
10:46am Wed 10 Oct 12

Ozimandias wrote:
If local authorities did not regulate mobile food outlets there would be vans all over the place and local residents would suffer noise and cooking smells.
Perhaps Network rail could offer a buffet franchise on Falmer station and this man could apply for it!
Now there's some good lateral thinking.

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sbiscorrupt says...
10:55am Wed 10 Oct 12

'Little man' showing initiative gets stomped on by corporate led authority...

Something depressingly familiar about this!

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Martha Gunn says...
11:06am Wed 10 Oct 12

Welcome to the world of the Green Party in Brighton.

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Atticus says...
12:06pm Wed 10 Oct 12

At least inside the Amex they pay cleaners to pick up after the fans. Not enough bins at the station and no-one to service them so they quickly overflow and the litter blows into peoples gardens.

Those cleaners don't get the recognition they deserve IMO. Glad I don't have to do it!

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Skidrow says...
1:02pm Wed 10 Oct 12

Put the following in order of nuisance caused to residents then guess which didn't get planning permission;

28000 capacity football ground
Southern Water Pumping Station
2nd busiest road in Brighton
Railway spewing out fans & students
Burger Van

How many residents could have been affected by this van? Are there many houses there?

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Lewesroadresident says...
1:17pm Wed 10 Oct 12

Nathan_Adler wrote:
If he sold veggie burgers made with halal lentils and had a coloured rainbow on his van, the Greens would totally support him. More red tape trying to get in the eay of a man making an honest living. Shame on you B&H council, shame on you!!
Nope, he didn't have planning permission and then failed to apply for it properly. So entirely his fault really, and nothing to do with the Greens whatsoever.

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Lewesroadresident says...
1:21pm Wed 10 Oct 12

sbiscorrupt wrote:
'Little man' showing initiative gets stomped on by corporate led authority... Something depressingly familiar about this!
'Little man' who can't be bothered to apply for permission properly suffers the consequences.

Unfortunately that is depressingly familiar- just like the carwash man who decided he would turn a premises into a garage without bothering to check he actually could, then blamed the Council.

I know this is shocking, but sometimes individual people are responsible for their own circumstances, and it's not the fault of BHCC or the Greens, or even the Tories.

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John Steed says...
1:24pm Wed 10 Oct 12

if you live in worthing there are fast food outlets everywhere, smells, litter, noise and seagulls abound, as to councils and inspectors yesterday i was in the dirtiest kitchen with the poorest quality food handling and storage i have seen in a very very long time, if it wasnt for the fact it is being sold and i was visiting on behalf of the new owners who are going to refit the dump when the legals complete in a few weeks, i would have been onto the enviromental health once i had stopped gagging.
as to this guy and his burger van, well own goal scored. i suggest he fills in the forms properly, resubmits and takes it forward by appeal if nessacary after all thats how the wonderfull stadium got built,

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Tommy11 says...
1:35pm Wed 10 Oct 12

The Greens have come in and done a terrible job - why did these idiots vote them in???.. oh yea...people did it as it was 'trendy' without realising what their political obligations were. It's just all this typical Brighton nonsense - no real substance to anything that they do and just pety micky mouse stuff. 28 days a year? yes i feel for the guy too.

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Sevensisters says...
2:28pm Wed 10 Oct 12

The powers that be should take a leave out of the books of the people who run Derby County FC. There were loads of hot food vans outside the ground last week. The gates were even opened at half time to let supporters out to use these facilities.There should be more allowed at Falmer not none at all.

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elephantsandowls says...
3:14pm Wed 10 Oct 12

"If he sold veggie burgers made with halal lentils and had a coloured rainbow on his van, the Greens would totally support him. "
lol

^passing on ideas right now^

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Portlock Seagull says...
6:20pm Wed 10 Oct 12

I built a space launch pad in my back garden. Only plan to launch 23 rockets a year. Yes it creates a bit of noise and a smell but do my neighbours try and see my side of the argument? Nothing but moaning even though we live next to a ROAD and PLANES sometimes fly overhead! Double standards or what! Now, because of their selfish ways, the council has told me I've 28days to dismantle it. They ought to support small space exploration businesses like mine trying to scratch a living and creating local jobs. But no, they suck up to monopolies like NASA. I didn't ask for anyone's permission because I thought you could do what you liked in this country? Gone to the dogs this nation. Utter intolerance. Archer OUT!

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The Real Phil says...
7:05pm Wed 10 Oct 12

Where do we get all these knuckle draggers who blame "The Greens" for all ills which befall anyone in Brighton and Hove? Planning regulations have been around for many years before the Green Party even existed, and any council would be obliged to enforce them.
The burger man seems to have a fair bit of support, and it is a shame that he did not see fit to follow the system, though the obvious problems with the neighbours seem to indicate that his application would fail anyway.
It's a shame, but that's life.

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worthingite says...
9:08am Thu 11 Oct 12

No neighbour would want the smell and the mess caused by this van outside their own house.

Hopefully he was insured and has filled in his tax return.

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Jimmy Stewart's Imaginary Rabbit says...
10:16am Thu 11 Oct 12

The Real Phil wrote:
Where do we get all these knuckle draggers who blame "The Greens" for all ills which befall anyone in Brighton and Hove? Planning regulations have been around for many years before the Green Party even existed, and any council would be obliged to enforce them.
The burger man seems to have a fair bit of support, and it is a shame that he did not see fit to follow the system, though the obvious problems with the neighbours seem to indicate that his application would fail anyway.
It's a shame, but that's life.
Very sensible post - so well out of place on here. I'm no fan of the Greens but even I'm struggling to see how they can be worked into this story as either heroes or villains.

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JKW says...
10:38am Thu 11 Oct 12

BHA want to be the only people selling Burgers for miles around the stadium on match day so they got 2 woman living there to complain about the van...the train co said he could go on their property until they got call from BHA then network backed out lively!..the smell was dealt with by purchasing a new extractor fan/chimney for the van..this sort of van is everywhere around most football grounds in the UK I see them in front gardens all the time in London...greed by BHA..pure Greed

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F in L says...
2:11pm Thu 11 Oct 12

Disgusting greasy thing. Still he is the Boss he decides.

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