"Richard Smith, representing members of the church, including Father Alfred Ebalu, said they did not want to stop the business trading and were only concerned about the location of the van and disturbance this caused. He said: The church building and its immediate surroundings provide an area of peace and calm appropriate to the long-established traditions of a place of worship. Trading from a pizza van at the gates of the church in such a location is demonstrably unsuitable even, some say, disrespectful."
"Mr Smith told the meeting the location of the van caused disturbance and inconvenience for visitors trying to get into the church, particularly disabled and elderly people. He said the rules of the parking bays had been negotiated years ago to help people access the church. He added: We've reviewed these concerns over the last few weeks and asked ourselves if we're being unreasonable, are we being too protective of the church and its environment, but we conclude that our concerns are reasonable and fair."
Kingston Council granted Vesuvio on the Road a 12-month street trading licence to sell food and soft drinks from a van outside St Pius X Roman Catholic Church in Norbiton. The business had operated under a six-month temporary licence and applied to trade in the evenings. The application drew 22 written objections and a licensing hearing where objectors said the van was unsuitable across two parking bays. Church representatives said they did not seek to stop trading but objected to the van’s location and the disturbance it caused, which hindered access for disabled and elderly visitors. The council’s principal engineer wrote he could not support the application because of significant demand for on-street parking.
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