Chippy chased from Strand Bar

A report before tomorrow's Environmental Services meeting found the burger van operating on a piece of land owned by the popular Strand Bar pub and night spot on the Strand Road.

Both the trader and the bar owner were under the impression a street trading licence was not required as the hot food trailer was parked on private land owned by the bar.

But the report to Derry City Council's Environmental Services (Licensing) Committee explains why this was not the case.

It reads: "At Hallowe'en, the Licensing Officer and Mr. D. Rice were engaged in monitoring street trading activity at the event.

"At around 8.30pm, they walked along event site by the river and returned via Strand Road.

"On a vacant site beside the Strand Bar, they observed a hot food trailer open for business and serving a number of people.

"The Licensing Officer recognised the trailer, and its owner, as it had previously been licensed to trade in Waterloo Place prior to the Public Realm works.

"Subsequent enquiries revealed that the site had been let to the trader by the Strand Bar owners who believed that as they owned the site, it did not require licensing.

"However, under the provisions of the Street Trading Act, trading on a private site still requires a licence if the receptacle is within ten metres of a street or footpath."

A warning letter was issued to the trader and also copied to the bar owners.

The report notes how trading activity at the site has now ceased.

Enforcement action was also taken against a trader who had left a shipping container on a licensed lay-by at the end of the Foyle Bridge.

Derry City Council received a complaint from a ship supply company regarding the presence of the container.

The Department of Regional Development (DRD) Roads Service also contacted the Council to see if anything could be done as it was alleged that the container was being used for storage by the trader.

"The trader was written to and advised that the grant of a street trading licence does not confer any right to place any such semi-permanent storage unit adjacent to the pitch and as the structure is on part of the 'road,' as defined in the Roads (NI) Order 1993, without lawful authority, the Department may serve notice under article 71 of the Order requiring its removal," the council report notes.

"It is understood that the Department intends to issue such notice, as Council has no authority to give permission for the container to remain nor can it compel the trader to remove it," it adds.

A third enforcement action was taken after a report was received of a trader parking a hot food trailer in a Department of Social Development (DSD) car park at William Street.

"Officers received a report that a hot food trailer was being parked on a DSD car park at William Street late at night on weekends.

"The description of the trailer matched that of a trailer which trades under the authority of a licence, at the lay-by by Thornhill on the Culmore Road.

The holder of the licence was written to and the letter copied to DRD Roads Service as it is an offence to trade in a DRD car park under the Department's Car Park Bye-Laws. Follow-up reports are awaited," the council report states.