TOWN councillors say Mark Lee-Kilgariff’s coffee van would hit town centre businesses.

Mark, from Knutsford, launched Tatton Perk, a striking orange coffee van at the end of last summer after calling time on a career as a probation officer.

Members of the town council’s planning and licensing committee considered on Monday an application by Tatton Perk for a renewal of its street trader licence.

They voted to object to the application, and the council’s objection and comments will go to Cheshire East Council, which will decide whether to grant or refuse the application.

The committee also objected to a planning application by Michael Lucas for a fish and chip shop at J H Oakes and Son shoe repairers at 6 Parkgate Lane, Knutsford.

A decision on the application will also be made by Cheshire East Council.

The committee objected to the Tatton Perk application for all requested locations, at Moorside, Blackhill Lane and Parkgate.

In respect of Moorside it said: “The street trading would adversely affect existing town centre businesses close to the proposed trading location.

“The siting of the pitch on an already congested highway in close proximity to a children’s playground could result in road safety issues for persons upon egress and exit to the Moor.”

In respect of Blackhill Lane the committee said: “The proposed trading location is in close proximity to Bexton School, where at school drop-off and pick-up times there are existing parking and highway safety issues, which the proposed siting would exacerbate by causing obstruction to vehicles and pedestrians.”

The committee added that the proposed trading location at Parkgate would cause increased congestion in an area where there was already insufficient parking.

The council said a business owner from King Street had objected to the street trader renewal application during the public participation part of the committee meeting, expressing concerns about the trade they felt Tatton Perk was ‘diverting from their business’.

Knutsford Guardian:

The premises earmarked for the fish and chip shop

The committee also objected to the change of use application for 6 Parkgate Lane to a category A5 food takeaway as a fish and chip shop because the Knutsford Neighbourhood Plan encouraged A1-A4 use in residential areas, not A5.

The committee added that an A5 use was likely to increase the parking issues in the area due to the insufficient parking spaces to serve the parade of shops.