mc_squared Posted October 22, 2010 Share Posted October 22, 2010 Cafe owner ordered to remove extractor fan because neighbour claimed 'smell of frying bacon offends Muslims' By Daily Mail Reporter Last updated at 10:53 PM on 21st October 2010 Comments (332) Add to My Stories A hard-working cafe owner has been ordered to tear down an extractor fan - because the smell of her frying bacon 'offends' Muslims. Planning bosses acted against Beverley Akciecek, 49, after being told her next-door neighbour's Muslim friends had felt 'physically sick' due to the 'foul odour'. Councillors at Stockport Council in Greater Manchester say the smell from the fan is 'unacceptable on the grounds of residential amenity'. Planning row: Cafe owner Beverley Akciecek has been ordered to tear down an extractor fan by the council because the smell of cooked bacon 'offends' Muslims The fan has been in Beverley's Snack Shack takeaway in the Shaw Heath area of the town for the past three years. Mrs Akciecek and her husband Cetin, 50, - himself a Turkish Muslim - work more than 50 hours a week buying, preparing and cooking hot and cold sandwiches and hot-pots for their customers. Today mother-of-seven Mrs Akciecek said she plans to appeal against the decision. She said: 'I just think it's crazy. Cetin's friends actually visit the shop, they're regular visitors, they're Muslim people, they come in a couple of times a week. 'I have Muslim people come in for cheese toasties. Cetin cooks the food himself, he cooks the bacon. 'When we go to a cafe my husband wouldn't be offended by the smell of bacon. His friends are not offended by it, we have three visitors who come here for a sandwich, friends of my husband, and the smell doesn't offend them at all. 'My brother-in-law doesn't flinch if he comes and we've just taken out three trays of bacon. 'I'm going to find a local councillor. I'm waiting for the letter so I can appeal.' The couple took over the take-away in 2007 from the previous owner and replaced the existing extractor fan, which had been there for six years, with a new modern one. They claim they received no complaints about the cafe which is open from 7.30am-2.30pm six days a week, until around 18 months ago when they received a letter from environmental services to say their neighbour Graham Webb-Lee had complained about the smell. Fan dispute: Mrs Akciecek outside their cafe in Stockton. She is planning to appeal the council's decision to remove the extractor fan which can been seen in the top left corner of the picture Mrs Akciecek said: 'We've never had a problem about the smell because everything is pre-cooked. We cook it in the oven so there's no foul smell. 'It's pre-cooked so the smell isn't as strong when we're frying it off. It's like living next to someone who's cooking a Sunday breakfast but it's not constant it's just in the morning. 'It's been a sandwich shop for about eight years, cooking exactly the same stuff. The lady before me did double because they were actually building new houses across the road so she was really busy. She was here from 6am-4pm because they were so busy. 'They were there before me but they were also there when the lady who owns the business was here and she was doing double what we are. She had five staff, you can imagine how bust that shop was and they never complained at all.' They say that the council's environmental services had been out to inspect their property after their neighbour complained about a foul odour last year, but they ruled that the smell was not causing a problem. Mrs Akciecek said: 'Environmental services said everything is ok. They kept coming back and guaging it and said there was no problem and because they didn't take any action (the neighbours) complained again.' The couple had never applied for planning permission as they had simply replaced an existing extractor fan with one of the same size and in the same position, but, following further complaints from their neighbour, they were informed by the council they would have to apply retrospectively as an objection had been raised. They applied for planning permission in May this year, but the application was refused at a meeting of Stockport Area Committee on October 14. Mr Webb-Lee objected to the aplication - complaining that his Muslim friends refused to visit him becase they 'can't stand the smell of bacon'. Mrs Akciecek, who also attended the meeting, said: 'He said he had a daughter with an eating disorder, the Muslim friends, and the bad smell all the time is making his clothes smell. 'The councillors agreed with him without even asking me what I thought. It was as if they didn't even realise I was there. 'This cafe is our only source of income. There are only two of us working, we haven't got any staff anymore. We work seven hours in the shop and my husband goes to the cash and carry and has all the prep work to do. We're working long hours. He does about 50 hours a week easy and I'm working about the same and we work Saturdays. 'The shop will be a lot harder work. It will be a good hour a day washing the walls down, I will not work anywhere with the grease falling down the walls. We can't move it anywhere. 'I'm not going to accept it and we're going to fight it.' Mr Webb-Lee said: 'The vent is 12 inches from my front door. Every morning the smell of bacon comes through and makes me physically sick. 'I have a lot of Muslim friends. They refuse to visit me anymore because they can't stand the smell of bacon.' A spokesman for Stockport Council said: 'The retrospective application was rejected on the grounds of residential amenity, as the committee felt the odours given off from the vent were unacceptable for neighbouring residents. 'We will ensure that the cafe complies with this decision and removes the extractor fan.' Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1322435/Cafe-owner-ordered-remove-extractor-fan-case-smell-frying-bacon-offends-passing-Muslims.html#ixzz135V64CzH Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cyan Kat Posted October 22, 2010 Share Posted October 22, 2010 ZOMG I Love the Smell of Bacon this would make me want to eat it 24/7 though :thinking: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mc_squared Posted October 22, 2010 Author Share Posted October 22, 2010 They reckon the neighbour was just using it as a convenient excuse because he hated it himself.:dozey: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cobalt Posted October 22, 2010 Share Posted October 22, 2010 Moreso sounds like "I AM A MUSLIM AND YOU CANNOT KILL PIGS". However if the odor is extremely strong he has a right to complain, bc it shouldn't be. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mc_squared Posted October 22, 2010 Author Share Posted October 22, 2010 Moreso sounds like "I AM A MUSLIM AND YOU CANNOT KILL PIGS". However if the odor is extremely strong he has a right to complain, bc it shouldn't be. Maybe so, but apparently he had made several complaints previously without citing that as a reason, so it all sounds a bit fishy.:dozey: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Final Track Posted October 22, 2010 Share Posted October 22, 2010 A hard-working cafe owner has been ordered to tear down an extractor fan - because the smell of her frying bacon 'offends' Muslims. Haha! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mc_squared Posted October 22, 2010 Author Share Posted October 22, 2010 Haha! It's only funny because it's totally ridiculous.:dozey: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cobalt Posted October 22, 2010 Share Posted October 22, 2010 Maybe so, but apparently he had made several complaints previously without citing that as a reason, so it all sounds a bit fishy.:dozey: Well they know how to raise awareness about it! Haha! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ambergris Posted October 22, 2010 Share Posted October 22, 2010 Haha! I also laughed really hard at the title... I think the smell of bacon everyday in your house would just annoy anyone... but then there's the sensacionalist-yellow press... making it sound like the affected is a hard working British woman because the intolerance of some random Muslim inmigrant... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mc_squared Posted October 22, 2010 Author Share Posted October 22, 2010 I also laughed really hard at the title... I think the smell of bacon everyday in your house would just annoy anyone... but then there's the sensacionalist-yellow press... making it sound like the affected is a hard working British woman because the intolerance of some random Muslim inmigrant... That's not true. If the neighbour hadn't cited it as a reason for his complaint, it would have never made headlines in the first place. The other question is, who was there first? Him or the cafe owner? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crests Posted October 22, 2010 Share Posted October 22, 2010 I LOL'D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ambergris Posted October 22, 2010 Share Posted October 22, 2010 The other question is, who was there first? Him or the cafe owner? I don't know. I don't care. I don't live there!! This is just another district, local squabble-problem... just like thousand others in the UK. I'm sure competent local authorities will solve this the best way possible. So what's really the news on this? I mean, there's clearly a xenophobic tone on this note. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mc_squared Posted October 22, 2010 Author Share Posted October 22, 2010 I don't know. I don't care. I don't live there!! This is just another district, local squabble-problem... just like thousand others in the UK. I'm sure competent local authorities will solve this the best way possible. So what's really the news on this? I mean, there's clearly a xenophobic tone on this note. A decision should have been made based purely on whether the fumes were a "health hazard" or breaking some kind of law, not whether it was offensive to anyone on religious grounds. Apparently the cafe owner is a Turkish Muslim anyway, so what's the big deal? :dozey: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cyan Kat Posted October 22, 2010 Share Posted October 22, 2010 I WANTED BACON Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eff-exx Posted October 22, 2010 Share Posted October 22, 2010 I wonder at times, if we want to go completely halal, then shouldn't Muslims use different kind of money from us? Because the money touched by us could have been touched by pork dealers... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cyan Kat Posted October 22, 2010 Share Posted October 22, 2010 If you were really so bothered why would you buy a house next door to somewhere where they cook Meat Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cobalt Posted October 22, 2010 Share Posted October 22, 2010 A decision should have been made based purely on whether the fumes were a "health hazard" or breaking some kind of law, not whether it was offensive to anyone on religious grounds. Apparently the cafe owner is a Turkish Muslim anyway, so what's the big deal? :dozey: Planning bosses acted against Beverley Akciecek' date=' 49, after being told her next-door neighbour's Muslim friends had felt 'physically sick' due to the [b']'foul odour'[/b]. Preeeeetty sure if they're a Muslim it might smell even more unusual to them, as they are obviously not used to the smell of cooking pig. But as stated in the article, the property owner has complained numerous times about bad smells. Decisions HAVE been made in the past, council spokesperson said they went out and tested it, each time the readings were ok and complaint ignored. I don't know what the big deal is, but sounds like maybe you have an idea. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mc_squared Posted October 22, 2010 Author Share Posted October 22, 2010 I don't know what the big deal is, but sounds like maybe you have an idea. Yes, that somebody might have been telling "porkies"......................... :rolleyes: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
busybeeburns Posted October 22, 2010 Share Posted October 22, 2010 They should hang fire and keep the extractor fan on the basis that there will be nobody prosecuting for the council since they're all being made redundant. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now