Latest news with #Wheatley
The Independent
2 hours ago
- Business
- The Independent
Curry house forced to close after 20 years after neighbours complain of curry smell
A popular curry house has been forced to close its doors after two decades in business, following complaints from neighbours about the smell of curry. Cinnamons Restaurant in Wheatley, Oxfordshire, had been a local favourite for over 20 years when South Oxfordshire District Council received a complaint about "curry odours" in 2021. Environmental health officers visited the restaurant and upheld the complaint. The Bangladeshi restaurant reportedly spent around £35,000 on a new extractor fan in an attempt to resolve the issue. However, these efforts were ultimately unsuccessful, leading to the restaurant's closure. However, another complaint was made and the curry house was served an abatement notice, which deemed Cinnamons' new ventilation system to be defective. Unable to afford the installation cost of a new system, which the restaurant claimed to be in the region of £50,000, Cinnamons was taken to court and forced to pay a £25,000 fine after pleading guilty in October 2024. Despite the funds spent, the council issued a further abatement notice and in May this year, Cinnamons announced that it could not afford the demands and would close in mid-June, making 10 people unemployed. South Oxfordshire District Council said they have no option but to prosecute 'if measures are not introduced to solve the issue and abatement notices are breached' and that Cinnamons 'admitted that they could have done more to mitigate the odour'. Restaurateur Shirazul Hoque, 32, said 'The village wants the restaurant to stay, otherwise we would have closed before paying the £25,000 fine. 'It's really hard for us and feels absolutely wrong as we love our village… it is hurtful to have our cuisine, which is loved, described as producing obnoxious odours that stink. 'All our employees have families and the chefs who live above the restaurant will be made homeless – it's a big punch in the gut.' Cinnamons Restaurant has been operating in Wheatley, Oxfordshire, since 2000. Shirazul's uncles took over the business in 2012, and they have been serving Bangladeshi and Indian food there ever since. Many TripAdvisor reviews describe the restaurant as an important part of the community. 'We are so lucky to have this restaurant in our village,' one review reads. In 2021, the restaurant won the TripAdvisor Travellers' Choice award, which is given to businesses that consistently earn great reviews from travellers and are ranked within the top 10% in their field on TripAdvisor. That same year, an odour complaint was made to South Oxfordshire District Council against the restaurant. An officer from the Environmental Health Agency upheld the complaint. After over two decades of service, Shirazul claimed Cinnamons had never received such a complaint but as a result installed a roughly £35,000 ventilation system as demanded. 'We wanted to resolve it because we've been here for 20 years, we love our village and we wanted to do something about it,' Shirazul said. A higher specification ventilation model was suggested by a consultant, but the restaurant felt they could not afford the installation cost, estimated to be roughly £50,000, nor the maintenance cost. Despite the expensive work carried out by a reputable company with over 30 years of experience, Shirazul said, another complaint was lodged with the council. The Environmental Protection Team was sent to the restaurant and the odour was deemed to be unacceptable, and their ventilator defective. Cinnamons were then asked to rectify the ventilation system. 'We weren't able to afford it,' Shirazul said. 'To be honest, business had not rebounded post-Covid, we'd not been making any profit so we didn't have the money for this.' Since no action was taken, the restaurant was issued with an abatement notice and taken to court. Cinnamons pleaded guilty and accepted a £25,000 fine in October 2024. The issue of ventilation was still deemed unsolved however which left the restaurant facing a further expense estimated by Shirazul to be in the region of £50,000. On Monday May 19, Cinnamons realised they were unable to continue fighting the battle, telling their 10 employees they were without a job. 'It's very hard to share this story because I've spent a lot of my time in the business,' Shirazul said. Asked what other restaurants can learn from his situation, Shirazul said: 'Do due diligence in seeing how the council environmental health officers operate and learn the appeal process.' He also says that on Sunday June 15, their last day of trading, the restaurant will be giving out free meals to anyone who comes through. 'It's a gesture of thanks for all the support we've received through the difficulties of the last few years,' he said. 'It's a way of saying thank you for standing by us.' South Oxfordshire District Council said in a statement: 'The council has a legal duty to investigate nuisance complaints about smells from industrial, trade and business premises that could be a statutory nuisance. 'We always aim to advise and support businesses on how they can resolve issues. However, if measures are not introduced to solve the issue and abatement notices are breached, we have no option but to prosecute. 'In the case of Cinnamons Restaurant in Wheatley, the Council's Environmental Protection Team has assessed the odour complaint following our procedures and legislation. 'An extensive investigation at this site determined a statutory nuisance existed in relation to the kitchen's ventilation systems. 'Cinnamons Cuisine Limited, who run the restaurant, has since failed to follow our recommendations and has breached an environmental abatement notice on several occasions between October 2023 and April 2024. 'Cinnamons pleaded guilty to four charges ahead of a scheduled three-day court appearance on Wednesday 2 October 2024. 'The District Judge at Oxford Magistrates' Court reviewed the evidence and statements provided by council officers and the company, and taking into consideration the revised guilty plea, the judge ordered that the company pay a total of £25,000 – this includes an £11,000 fine, an award of full costs of £12,000 to South Oxfordshire District Council, alongside a victim surcharge of £2,000. 'As well as pleading guilty to the charges of statutory nuisance laid against them, Cinnamons admitted that they could have done more to mitigate the odour. 'The council can advise and assist where we can, but ultimately responsibility for fixing the problem sits with the business. 'The business has been provided advice and guidance on steps they can take but to date have failed to follow our recommendations. 'Cinnamons is still the subject of an ongoing legal case, and we will therefore not be in a position to comment any further on this case other than the information provided in the statement above.'
Daily Mail
3 days ago
- Business
- Daily Mail
EXCLUSIVE Furious couple surrounded by newbuilds say they are being forced to sell their house over plans for 650 MORE homes
A couple say they are being forced to leave their home because a newbuild development has 'destroyed' the view from their back garden. Jacqueline & Terry Wheatley, 63 and 64, lived happily in their detached house on the Isle of Sheppey in Kent for 10 years until their domestic bliss was shattered by a housing estate looming over their fence. The couple feel 'boxed' in by the new homes with construction due to expand if plans for a 650 estate nearby gets the green light from council planners. Mr and Mrs Wheatley say the estate, due to cover 43 football pitches on the tiny island, will bring thousands of people and cause chaos on local roads. Locals fear the sprawling new development in the already 'heavily overbuilt' area is destined to be approved despite an unprecedented six-hour public hearing with a government planning officer. The plans for the new estate are so loathed by some that they have been the subject of an excruciating three year council war between locals and the developers, MLN Land and Properties - with neither giving an inch. The Wheatleys have decided they will cut their losses and flee to one of the 'few remaining green spots left' on the island whilst their 'homes are still worth something. Mr Wheatley said: 'We are selling. It's shocking what has happened to this island - they have ruined it.' 'It's horrendous. They're just flooding this island.' When MailOnline visited the home this week we were greeted by towering scaffolding from a neighbouring newbuild - not connected to MLN's proposals. In the garden, a brick arch lay crumbling on the ground after being damaged, the couple claim, by the builders next door. For the couple it was the straw that finally broke their back. Mr Wheatley said: 'I've really seen a change; before I had fields in front of me, fields behind me, this bungalow and the one next door were the only two properties really down this road, going back probably 20 years ago. 'We've still got a small mortgage on this, but obviously we're looking to buy outright. 'But wherever you go, they're building soo you're never going to get what we used to have – the views and everything else.' Terry claims his attempts to start a new life in a different part of the island have been frustrated by developers nearby. He continued: 'The price of my house has dropped at least 30-50 grand. I know prices have gone down with what's going on around the world, but I really don't think that's helped. 'We've had a couple of people ring up and come round, but as soon as they've seen what we have to look at in the garden everyday they've just gone: 'Oh no!'' Nextdoor neighbour Maggie Moon has lived in her home for 45 years and claims the island has changed for the worst. Mrs Moon, 82, fears the new development will cause a rise in anti-social behaviour and speeding. She said: 'They [yobs] whizz down here, they just don't care. 'When we first moved on the island, all those houses up there, it was all beautiful, but it's all houses now. 'This wasn't even a road when we moved in. You used to have to pull in to let somebody else go past. 'But there's not enough spaces. You can't get a doctor, the island can't cope with it. 'The infrastructure is awful, even getting a bus through here is awful too, if you're lucky to get a bus, not that we bother really. 'I moan and moan, every time we leave here you go along that road and say look at all the blooming cars, I've never known it. 'I am getting sick of all the houses around us. We're surrounded. It's not fair, is it? We feel hemmed in but I'm 82 and he's 86 so we're not going to move are we?' Other residents are just at the start of their journey. Retired teacher Andy Brackley recently moved into the area with his dog Orla as he wanted to downsize to be near his kids. He tells us he had no idea about the size of the new development before he bought the house. He said: 'We've literally just moved in, I only read about this the other day. About 650 houses, And the roads are pretty poor anyway, it's mad. 'This was a lovely quiet country lane which was lovely to walk up with the dog. 'We came from Medway which was busy, I thought I'd have more peace and quiet here so I'm not liking how busy it's going to be with this massive big estate. It's bit of a disaster really, there's just no infrastructure. There's no schools, shops, doctors. 'Whether they're planning to do that, I don't know. It's the roads really, they're really hectic at the moment 'But really 650 homes is like a city - they're building another island! It's a shame.' As part of the negociation process with Swale council, MLN has agreed a number of permanenet community features. These include building a community hub, safeguarding land for a medical hub and introducing a new bus service connecting the estate to Sheerness. Outdoor facilities such as a multi-use sports pitch, tennis court, bowling club and allotments will also be built.
The Age
6 days ago
- The Age
Sixty years after they died together, two soldiers awarded for gallantry
But the military downplayed other acts of astonishing courage by both Wheatley and by Swanton. Warrant Officer Swanton, when he was shot on November 13, 1965, was attempting to save the life of a wounded South Vietnamese soldier by carrying him across the paddy field, knowing he was exposing himself to enemy gunfire. It was a selfless act that led to his own death after Wheatley dragged him to cover. Yet a military officer dismissed Swanton's eligibility for a medal, declaring that 'whilst his actions could be described as 'courageous', these actions are what all service personnel are expected to perform in an attempt to preserve the life of a wounded comrade'. The appeals tribunal overturned that decision. Swanton's niece Chantal Swanton-Gallant flew from Queensland to accept the posthumous award. She and her son, Nicholas Swanton-Gallant, asked for privacy after the emotional and belated ceremony. They were joined by members of Wheatley's family after the awards investiture. Wheatley's Award for Gallantry was for two separate acts of great courage. The first was on May 28, 1965 – 60 years to the day before his Medal for Gallantry was finally awarded and presented to his son, who was just 11 when he died. Pinned down by gunfire in a shallow ditch in Quang Tri Province, Wheatley saw a terrified Vietnamese girl, aged about three, break away from her mother and run screaming down the road. Warrant Officer Second Class Wheatley, aged 28 and with four children of his own back in Australia, leapt from cover and, fully exposed to heavy gunfire, ran to the little girl, scooped her up in his arms and raced her to safety, shielding her with his own body. A recommendation for a 'Mention in Dispatches' was ignored. On August 18, 1965, Wheatley charged a Viet Cong battalion alone, running up a heavy slope under fire. His action spurred a South Vietnamese unit into action, and the Viet Cong were routed. In the same action, he saved the life of US Marine Jim Lowe, earning him one of the US military's top awards for bravery, the Silver Star. Loading Wheatley's wife, Edna, travelled with son George and other family members to Sydney for Wednesday's awards investiture. It was, perhaps, some compensation for the pain and disadvantage she suffered after her husband was killed. She was sacked from her job at a western Sydney RSL Club for 'making a fuss' and demanding that her husband's body be returned for burial in Australia. She won that battle: Wheatley's body was eventually brought home, and Australian military policy was altered to ensure Australia's war dead were thereafter returned home.
Sydney Morning Herald
6 days ago
- Sydney Morning Herald
Sixty years after they died together, two soldiers awarded for gallantry
But the military downplayed other acts of astonishing courage by both Wheatley and by Swanton. Warrant Officer Swanton, when he was shot on November 13, 1965, was attempting to save the life of a wounded South Vietnamese soldier by carrying him across the paddy field, knowing he was exposing himself to enemy gunfire. It was a selfless act that led to his own death after Wheatley dragged him to cover. Yet a military officer dismissed Swanton's eligibility for a medal, declaring that 'whilst his actions could be described as 'courageous', these actions are what all service personnel are expected to perform in an attempt to preserve the life of a wounded comrade'. The appeals tribunal overturned that decision. Swanton's niece Chantal Swanton-Gallant flew from Queensland to accept the posthumous award. She and her son, Nicholas Swanton-Gallant, asked for privacy after the emotional and belated ceremony. They were joined by members of Wheatley's family after the awards investiture. Wheatley's Award for Gallantry was for two separate acts of great courage. The first was on May 28, 1965 – 60 years to the day before his Medal for Gallantry was finally awarded and presented to his son, who was just 11 when he died. Pinned down by gunfire in a shallow ditch in Quang Tri Province, Wheatley saw a terrified Vietnamese girl, aged about three, break away from her mother and run screaming down the road. Warrant Officer Second Class Wheatley, aged 28 and with four children of his own back in Australia, leapt from cover and, fully exposed to heavy gunfire, ran to the little girl, scooped her up in his arms and raced her to safety, shielding her with his own body. A recommendation for a 'Mention in Dispatches' was ignored. On August 18, 1965, Wheatley charged a Viet Cong battalion alone, running up a heavy slope under fire. His action spurred a South Vietnamese unit into action, and the Viet Cong were routed. In the same action, he saved the life of US Marine Jim Lowe, earning him one of the US military's top awards for bravery, the Silver Star. Loading Wheatley's wife, Edna, travelled with son George and other family members to Sydney for Wednesday's awards investiture. It was, perhaps, some compensation for the pain and disadvantage she suffered after her husband was killed. She was sacked from her job at a western Sydney RSL Club for 'making a fuss' and demanding that her husband's body be returned for burial in Australia. She won that battle: Wheatley's body was eventually brought home, and Australian military policy was altered to ensure Australia's war dead were thereafter returned home.
The Herald Scotland
16-05-2025
- Politics
- The Herald Scotland
How local government lost its way - and why it matters to us all
And out of this, there emerged the brave new era of Scotland's large Regional Councils and a new breed of second-tier Districts. Three island groups – Shetland, Orkney and the Western Isles – were allowed to escape from the two-tier format as freestanding authorities. Maybe there is so little commemoration of this historic transition because it produced a structure for delivery that was so conspicuously better than what we have today – more strategic, more powers, more money, more innovative, Where did it all go wrong? The new settlement reflected an extraordinary degree of political consensus and, particularly from the Tories, a significant level of magnanimity. Ultimately, it was they who introduced legislation which transformed how their strongholds in rural Scotland were run, as parts of large Labour regions. Read more The long journey began in 1963 when the Tory government published a White Paper called The Modernisation of Local Government in Scotland. At that time, there were more than 400 local authorities, including 197 town councils, four city corporations and 33 county councils. This White Paper introduced the concept of two-tier local government with clearly defined responsibilities. The number of counties would be halved and the four cities would continue as unitary authorities with enlarged boundaries. In itself, all this was quite radical. Harold Wilson's government took over in 1964 and indicated it would be coming up with its own proposal but instead outsourced the task to a Royal Commission which was announced in early 1966, to be chaired by Lord Wheatley, a former Lord Advocate and judge. Membership was cross-party and included such formidable figures of the era as Betty Harvie Anderson, the Tory MP for East Renfrewshire, and Russell Johnston, the Liberal MP for Inverness-shire. Without doubt, this defused potential for its recommendations be politically contentious when published in September 1969. Few had expected them to be so radical. The Commission had bought in entirely to the concept of Regions large enough to exercise strategic economic powers. There were to be seven Regions and 37 Districts. Originally, the three islands areas were to be districts within the vast Highlands and Islands Region. The former Strathclyde Regional Council building on India Street in Glasgow being demolished in 2015 (Image: Jamie Simpson) By 1970, the Tories were back in power and while there were some variations from the Wheatley recommendations – including single-tier status for islands and the creation of Fife as a separate Region – the vast majority survived. It was transformational in many respects, not least for rural Scotland. I have personal reasons for remembering the positive impact. I grew up in Argyll and my father worked for the old Argyll County Council. There were no national wage scales or negotiations worth talking about. Like most of Scotland's rural authorities, the great panjandrums of landlordism regarded running County Councils as part of their birth right. All of that changed the day Strathclyde Regional Council came into existence. Not only did this apply to wages and conditions of employees, it was also reflected in a drive for 'levelling-up' of services and infrastructure, long before the term was invented. The first convener of Strathclyde was Rev. Geoff Shaw, a Labour councillor who pursued a radical Church of Scotland ministry in the Gorbals. Arguably, Geoff Shaw worked himself to death in his determination to make a success of Strathclyde and particularly to win trust, and raise standards, in the rural hinterlands it inherited. Formation of the new structure brought with it the creation of the Convention of Scottish Local Authorities. This united the big beasts of local government – major, serious politicians – who collectively were confident enough to challenge the Scottish Office of the day, regardless of who was running it. No system of local government will ever satisfy all critics but, in most memories, the Regions and Districts were a success. Possibly the biggest drawback was the failure of the 'third tier' envisaged by Wheatley – community councils – to make an impact, due to the absence of either powers or money. That contributed to many places, particularly the former small burghs, experiencing a loss of identity. Read more On the other hand, there were few conflicts between the Districts and Regions once respective roles were established. Glasgow, for example, did not suffer from becoming a District rather than a Corporation and the 1980s are looked back on as a halcyon period for how the city went about transforming itself. Strathclyde Region covered half the population of Scotland and it was inevitable that as talk of a Scottish Assembly or Parliament grew, its proponents also saw the existence of big Regions as an obstacle to that ambition. It was also unlikely that in the charged political atmosphere of the Thatcher era, the political consensus would survive. Strathclyde played a shrewd leading role in bringing the poll tax experiment to an end and also effectively killed off water privatisation in Scotland by using its powers to hold a referendum which produced a 70 per cent response with 97 per cent voting against privatisation. By exercising such powers, it was also signing its own political death warrant. In 1993, the Tories introduced their own Local Government Reform Act which left us with what we have today. Particularly around Glasgow, the boundaries were shamelessly gerrymandered to exclude the most prosperous areas and permanently debilitate the city's revenue base. The rest, as they say, is history. Remarkably, and perhaps shamefully, there has been no subsequent reform measures while political devolution to Edinburgh has had the unquestionable effect of sucking powers, accountability and resources away from local government. May 16th 2025 could have been a springboard for discussing whether Scotland is best served by these arrangements. Unsurprisingly, that debate has not been encouraged. Brian Wilson is a former Labour Party politician. He was MP for Cunninghame North from 1987 until 2005 and served as a Minister of State from 1997 to 2003
