Café owners of a popular park café have posted an emotional status about the eatery’s potential closure this week.

Due to several complaints from local residents and from the council the Lily Hill Park café said that they have eight weeks to find a solution or be forced to close.

Ziggy’s Outdoor catering has occupied the park for five years and has become a staple for walkers, visitors and neighbouring residents. 

READ MORE: Bracknell family host refugees fleeing Ukraine war

After putting in a request with the management of Parks and Country three years ago, a grant application was submitted to have a mains charging point added. This would mean that there would be no longer a need for a generator.

The request however has come up against many obstacles and as of yesterday, they have been told by the environmental health officer that they have eight weeks to do something about the noise or face prosecution.

Robert Quelch, co-owner of Ziggy’s catering explained: “It is so frustrating. With our comprehensive and extensive menu, we need a large generator to power the equipment.

“We feel empathy for the residents on Lilyhill Road as they have to live with the noise 5 days a week including weekend, however some local residents have been right there with us fighting and supporting us over the last five years.

READ MORE: Wimpy one step closer to opening as signs go up outside

“We really are an asset to Lilly Hill Park and for us not to be there anymore would upset a lot of people.”

Robert said: “We’ve put so much of ourselves into this and for things to go wrong now would be just tragic.”

Stephen Chown, Head of Natural Estates, Parks and Countryside, commented: “The council, along with environmental health, is working with Ziggy’s Outside Catering, to try and find a solution which supports both their business, and the local residents. 

“Unfortunately, there have been a number of complaints from local residents regarding the noise of the generator, and we have a duty of care to respond to these.

“However, we do not wish to see a popular local business fail and Ziggy’s has not been served by a noise abatement notice. Environmental Health is sympathetic to their situation and has given them additional time to consider alternative arrangements, which could include sourcing a quieter generator, hiring acoustic barriers or considering alternative locations in the park. Given the willingness of the residents to tolerate the noise in the short term, they would also give a long compliance time and have suggested eight weeks.

“We are currently awaiting a response from OZEV (Office for Zero Emission Vehicles) regarding government funding for installing EV charging points in the car park. We have been working hard on this and are chasing a response from OZEV, as we were due a final decision several weeks ago. We are hopeful that we will get a positive result soon, but until we hear from them, we are unable to guarantee the outcome.”