A POPULAR kebab van in Wokingham has been refused trading rights by the council, despite more than 4,000 residents showing support for the business.

The BBQ King, a kebab van which has been trading in Wokingham town centre for almost 30 years, was denied a street trading license renewal by the council by decison yesterday (Wednesday, June 17), following allegations that customers smoke cannabis, get drunk and urinate in public on the site which, for four years, has been the youth centre car park on Reading Road.

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The result was announced following a council meeting on June 11.

Despite owner ? Mursoglu's attempts to ease concerns, the council's Licensing sub-committee decided that the Wokingham Youth and Community Centre car park is not a suitable or appropriate location to station a fast food vehicle.

It was also concerned that there was no longer land owner consent for a fast food vehicle to stay in the car park.
However, the sub-committee said it recognises that BBQ King is a popular and important local business which has been trading for a long time and recommended a suitable alternative location be actively sought by the council’s property department.

In January the Wokingham Borough Council (WBC) told Mr Mursaloglu, owner of BBQ King, that his permission to trade would not be renewed.

Despite this, the kebab boss appealed the decision to refuse the license.

His decision to appeal was then met by the support of more than 4,400 residents signing a petition to the council, in the hopes of allowing him to continue trading.

ALSO READ: Wokingham residents petition to keep kebab van trading in the town

Not only did residents come to his aid, but Colin George, member of the Wokingham Business Association, also revealed a Freedom of Information request, detailing how the council gave Mr Mursaloglu only six days notice he needed to find a new site, officers were hoping for a “quick win” in removing Mr Mursaloglu, but they conceded “the kebab man is digging in”, and the council's corporate leadership team (which includes the chief executive and senior officers) “instructed [officers] to get rid of this van from the youth club car park”.

Prior to the final verdict, Mr George said: “The trader has always been open to the suggestion of relocating near Wokingham town centre, but [...] no negotiation has been forthcoming or tolerated by WBC, and any requests by Wokingham Business Association to mediate have been rejected so far.”