Despite some strong objection – including pictorial evidence of rubbish which residents claim was left by the van’s customers – ‘Your Waverley’s licensing committee has agreed Cranleigh’s new doner kebab van can stay.

The parish council and some residents, including Cranleigh  of Commerce,  claim Kebab vans are more suited to towns, and its recent arrival, is lowering the tone of the rural village of Cranleigh!

Rural village? We here at the Waverley Web distinctly remember Cranleigh councillors calling for more footfall in the high street and calling for Cranleigh to become Waverley’s New town!

However, some Waverley Councillors, in particular Wonersh Councillor Michael Goodridge claimed it was “an outrage” that photographs purporting  to show detritus left by the kebab van’s customers, and referred to by Licensing committee Chairman and Cranleigh Councillor Patricia Ellis, and photographs which had not  been made available  to councillors, should be allowed, or considered, as evidence!  He asked how, and why, should the van’s owner be blamed for refuse on the high street outside the busy Cranleigh Post Office. He believed such  photographs should be ignored, as they were circumstantial evidence, evidence that would not be allowed in a court of law!

The van’s owner, Mr Andrey Andreev, told the committee it was hist first attempt to set up his own business and although he kept his van locally he travelled  several hours   to Cranleigh from London. He argued that food articles around his van were nothing to do with his business, as they contained food that he did not even serve. He did not believe  he should  be held responsible for refuse which could have been left by the customers of numerous other local take-away outlets. 

But, although the committee decided, behind closed doors, that the licence of the kebab van should be renewed,  they agreed   its  trading hours would  not be increased as had been requested by the applicant, and in future, he must clear the area in the post office lay-by, regardless of whether the refuse originated  from his customers or from elsewhere.

The Waverley Web has received a comment from a Cranleigh resident who has claimed that it is a ‘gross injustice’ that this new business should be blamed for acts of vandalism, hooliganism, or  unsocial behaviour, which  has been  a regular  and increasing occurence in the town for many years.

The name of the objector was redacted by Waverley Borough Council.