Tweedbank restaurant opposing Asian street food van's bid to set up shop nearby

A Tweedbank restaurant is appealing to councillors to reject a street trader's plans to set up shop nearby.
Herges on the Loch at Tweedbank.Herges on the Loch at Tweedbank.
Herges on the Loch at Tweedbank.

The owners of Herges on the Loch, in Tweedbank Drive, have written to Scottish Borders Council’s licensing committee asking it to reject an application from Kowloon Kitchen, an Asian street food van, to trade from a car park overlooking Gunknowe Loch.

Chia Lok Lee and his partner Zhu have applied for a change in his street trader’s licence that would see the van operating from the Tweedbank Drive car park on Thursdays and Fridays, Netherdale Industrial Estate in Galashiels on Mondays and Saturdays and Stow on Sundays.

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However, the owners of Herges on the Loch, Karen and Sandy Craig, have written to the council to voice their objections to the van operating in Tweedbank: “Our grounds of objection relate to the close proximity to our business. We are enclosing a plan of our boundary and wish to stress that the car park in question is not 100 metres from our boundary.

“Our planning permission was granted on the grounds that this car park would be used as part-requirement for car parking spaces on our planning application.

“To comply with the regulations, this trailer has to be attached to the towing vehicle and that takes up five parking spaces alone.

“On a personal note, we think that this detracts from the lovely scenery and tourist attraction that Gunknowe Loch is. Perhaps there are other sites in Tweedbank which may be suitable.”

Councillors sitting on the council’s civic government licensing committee are due to make a decision on the application tomorrow, July 20.