Family-Owned Pizza Van Triumphs in Dispute with London Church Over 'Disrespectful' Spot

A FAMILY business has won permission to continue serving up pizza outside a South London church after it was accused of being “disrespectful”.

The plans to continue the van-run restaurant’s licence received 22 written objections from local residents, concerned about the location, limited parking and access.

Vesuvio On The Road pizza van runs outside the St Pius X Roman Catholic Church in NorbitonCredit: Instagram Alessandra Rea, and her husband Vincenzo spoke in defence of their business on TuesdayCredit: Kingston Council There were 22 written objections to the pizza van, many concerning parking outside the churchCredit: Google

Despite this,granted Vesuvio on the Road permission to carry on serving pizza outside the St Pius X Roman Catholic Church in Norbiton.

The family-run has been open for six months, operating on a temporary licence between Tuesdays and Saturdays from 5pm to 10pm.

Owner Alessandra Rea said the past six months of business were a prime example of their ability to operate responsibly.

She appeared alongside her husband Vincenzo at a licensing meeting on Tuesday.

The meeting heard from Richard Smith, who represented members of the church, including Father Alfred Ebalu.

He said they did not want to stop the business trading, but were concerned about the location of the van and the disturbance they believed it caused.

“Trading from a pizza van at the gates of the church in such a location is demonstrably unsuitable – even, some say, disrespectful,” he said.

Smith added the location of the van caused “disturbance and inconvenience” for churchgoers, particularly disabled and elderly people.

He also claimed that the rules of the parking bays had been negotiated years ago to help people access the church.

“We’ve reviewed these concerns over the last few weeks and asked ourselves if we’re being unreasonable, are we being too protective of the church and its environment, but we conclude that our concerns are reasonable and fair,” he said.

“A place of worship at an established church, indeed any faith group, should be allowed to continue its long-standing worship and practise without intrusion or disturbance.”

The council’s principal engineer Younes Hamade, also opposed the application, due to the “significant demand for on-street parking” in the area.

Rea told the hearing that she and her husband understood parking was a sensitive issue, but pointed out that the bays were for the public and not reserved for the church.

She added that there were usually spaces nearby, as their business only traded in the evening.

“We fully respect that this location is beside a place of worship and that there are sensitive occasions such as funerals and weddings,” she said.

“We already don’t trade on Holy Days of Obligation and when a funeral is taking place, if seven days of notice [has been] given.”

Rea also said they only sold food, which was mainly pre-ordered for collection, with their customers mainly consisting of local families.

“This is our only source of income,” she said.

“We have four children and we rely on this business to feed our family and cover essential living costs.

“This business is not a hobby or extra income. This is our only source of income,” she added.

Rea said a small group of people had tried to stop the business trading by sending repeated complaints to the council and encouraging other businesses to oppose their application, as well as creating problems so it was harder to work, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

Independent Councillor James Giles said he had received emails from a handful of people who he believed had been “very abusive and actually quite detrimental to a family that is just trying in this challenging economic environment, to make a living and make a go of it”.

The pizza business was approved to continue selling their slices to local residentsCredit: Getty