Wickford residents angry over takeaway plan (From Southend Standard)

Wickford residents angry over takeaway plan

10:00am Thursday 1st November 2012 in Echo News By Melissa Hills

RESIDENTS living above a parade of shops in Wickford are furious because plans for a new takeaway shop were passed by planning chiefs.

Osman and Denise Keskin want to open the fourth shop in their chain called Cosmos Pizza and Kebabs to add to their existing businesses in Basildon, Benfleet and Canvey.
 

The couple hope to open the new shop in three months in what is currently the Motor Kit shop in Southend Road and create seven new jobs.

However neighbours living in the above flats have voiced concerns about extra noise, traffic and litter which the new shop could cause.

Christian Freeman, 47, who lives with her husband Martin and daughter Zoe, has voiced her opposition to Basildon Council and is furious the plans have been approved.
 

She said: “We own the flat and I can’t help but think that another takeaway shop opening in the parade is going to devalue our homes.
 

“I am so annoyed that the plans have been approved. The people who want to own the takeaway want to put a huge extraction fan at the back and that is going to cause a lot more noise and inconvenience.

“The bins which are meant for the residents also get filled up with rubbish from the existing shops in the parade so another takeaway is just going to cause extra mess and litter.

“I have to travel up to London for work and I want to relax when I come home and not worry about extra noise outside my home.
“The level of traffic is already very high and it’s near impossible to try and park outside your own home.”

Mr and Mrs Keskin were refused permission the first time because the extractor fan proposed didn’t meeting planning regulations.
The couple hired a planning consultant to fight their case and the plans were approved last week.

Mrs Keskin said: “People are creating problems before we have even opened the shop. We have two other shops in residential areas and there are no problems there.
 

“If anyone has a problem we are more than happy to hear people out and try and help as much as we can. At the end of the day we just want to make a living like everyone else. Most of the traffic at the new Wickford shop is caused by the Tesco Express.
 

“Our shop will not cause much extra traffic because most of our business will be deliveries.”

There is already a Tesco Express and one other takeaway on the called Fish and Chicken and the new shop will be open from 11am till 10pm seven days a week.