A woman who lost her business in a fire has been given a licence to set up an ice cream van overlooking the sea in Penzance.

Sally Reid had applied to Cornwall Council for a street trading licence so she can operate her Cornish Maid’s Ice Cream Cart from the road next to Penzance Promenade.

Her application had attracted objections from the Highways Agency and Penzance BID.

The application was heard by the council’s street trading sub-committee this afternoon and it was agreed to grant the licence.

Sally told the committee that she used to run a pub but it was lost in a fire around two years ago.

She explained that she wanted to work for herself again and said: “In February I came up with the idea of having an old fashioned ice cream van.

“I wanted to support local businesses and local farmers, using local produce and bring back something that has disappeared from my childhood.”

She added: “It was an idea to reminisce about but also to provide myself with a living and an income.”

The van will be selling Moomaid Ice Cream and Sally said that she had also sourced locally made ice lollies. She also has plans to sell tea and coffee.

Sally said she lived close to the promenade and thought it was an ideal location for the van which she is having refurbished.

The committee heard that one of the objections from the BID was about whether the business would use plastic spoons, bags and cartons which would go against the town’s status of being plastic free.

Sally explained that she had no plans to use any plastic and said that all her materials would either be edible or biodegradable. She said that the last thing she wanted to do was to add to rubbish in the area.

There had also been concerns that the van’s engine would be running to power the van, but Sally said that it would be switched off at all times.

The Highways Agency had raised objections but at the committee representative Rupert Spencer said that many of these were due to the description of the business as a “cart” and said that as it was an ice cream van many were no longer relevant.

However he did say that there were concerns that the ice cream van could cause an obstruction and that as spaces alongside the promenade could not be reserved there was no guarantee that it could park in the same place each day.

Sally responded saying that the van would fit into the layby area next to the road and not cause an obstruction and that she had chosen a site where the road and pavement is wider.

She also added that when it came to securing her preferred location it was a case of “the early bird catches the worm”.

Penzance BID said that Sally had addressed many of their concerns but they were still worried about whether queuing customers would block the pavement.

Sally said that she would encourage customers to queue at the side of the van and ensure social distancing as required.

The committee agreed to grant the street trading licence with conditions including ensuring customers queue to one side of the van and that a bin was attached to the vehicle for customers to use.