Ullapool pizza van ready to roll as Highland Council gives go-ahead for Oak and Grain venture in Wester Ross village's church car park
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PLANNERS have given their blessing for a pizza van to be operated from the Free Church car park in Ullapool.
The three year temporary planning permission from Highland Council allows Daniel Connell of Loggie, Lochbroom, to operate the fast food outlet with its wood-fired oven on condition that there is no excessive noise.
Churchgoers will not however have to resist the temptation of mouthwatering aromas wafting from the van as they arrive for services at Lochbroom Free Church on Quay Street.
Mr Connell has permission from the church to sell pizzas from his van except during the times of the two Sunday services or the one on Wednesday evenings.
The planning appraisal stated: "It is not considered that the siting of the temporary catering van would result in any discernible road safety impacts. The frontage of the church building is set back 10metres from the road edge and nine parking places are sited immediately in front of the church between it and the road.
"The catering van would in essence remove one parking space from the current parking capacity and there is ample provision for it to be parked without protruding onto the pavement or hampering the visibility or manoeuvres of other road users."
Mr Connell said in his application to Highland Council that his van will not require the use of any local services such as water or electricity, and litter bins will be at the site.
Environmental health have no objections in principle, but noise regulations must be heeded.
The car park is in use on Sunday mornings from 10.30am-12.30pm, Sunday evening from 5.30pm-7.30pm and Wednesdays from 6.30pm-8.30pm.
Although the van will be in a conservation area, the council's conservation team advised that no heritage issues are raised by the development.
"The mobile nature of the development also results in no tangible alterations to the character of the conservation area in that it can be fully transported off the site when no longer needed or operational," said the planning appraisal.
"It remains considered that this proposal is of a modest scale and is within a mixed use area within central Ullapool and can therefore be accommodated by a temporary consent."
The three years temporary permission was stipulated "so that the development's impact can be reassessed after a suitable time interval and given the temporary nature of the development."
Pizza making will be a chalk and cheese change of career for Mr Connell (37) who previously worked as a welder, rope access specialist and a commercial diver.
"I am looking forward to starting on April 1, working with my wife and another couple of people. I just hope the price of oil doesn't deter deter visitors and Ullapool is as busy as previous years.
"I will be doing most of the cooking and have just been to the London pizza school of Marco Fuso.I make pizzas in my garden oven, but I really needed to speed up the process for working from a van.
"We will be making Neapolitan pizzas, hand stretched, not rolled, and you tried not to touch the outside of the base so that it puffs up.
"The business is called Oak and Grain, but unfortunately oak wood is very scarce just now, but Strathnairn Firewood have got us kiln dried beech cut a bit thinner which should do the job."
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