Residents of an area of Falmouth along with the town council have objected to a local man setting up a street van selling “posh toasties” on the seafront.

However, Christian Dann has told a Cornwall Council street trading committee that he has done everything to alleviate their fears about noise, smell, litter and anti-social behaviour.

Mr Dann applied for consent to sell four types of toasted sandwiches with hot and cold drinks from a modified van, with the business trading under the name Bisty’s Proper Grilled Cheese on Cliff Road on Mondays to Sundays from 8am to 5pm each day, extending that to 10pm during the summer months.

Falmouth Town Council objected due to the area being in the Cumulative Impact Zone (CIZ), which aims to reduce anti-social behaviour around licensed premises.

The council stated: “The impact of an ever-increasing number of mobile catering units along the seafront is intrusive to the local residents and people parking along the seafront. The consent, if granted, will result in nuisance to members of the public, residents and local businesses due to the likely noise, smell, litter, disturbance or other problems.”

Nearby residents Carole and Steve Gudge, who were also concerned about possible noise, extra traffic, increased litter and smells, were unable to attend but said in a statement: “As you are aware there has been extensive anti-social behaviour recently in Falmouth resulting in criminal damage in Queen Mary Gardens, forcing their closure, and other areas.

“We in Cliff Road have experienced this too, with graffiti, some damage, broken glass and the use of the area as a ‘toilet’. Siting fast food businesses along the road that can operate into the late evening is likely to be an attractor for the perpetrators of these types of activity and for which the residents, through their local precept to Falmouth Town Council, are likely to end up footing the bill as well as suffering the noise nuisances, etc, associated with it.”

The couple sent follow-up correspondence saying that information Mr Dann provided in respect of noise concerns “is welcome and goes a long way to address those concerns”.

Mr Dann told the committee, which was meeting in New County Hall / Lys Kernow in Truro, that he was a “Falmouth boy” with historical connections going back several generations.

His great-grandfather opened the first fish and chip shop in Penryn and Mr Dann ran Muddy Beach, a popular café and restaurant in Penryn, with his parents for the past seven years. It was his intention to now go it alone.

Bisty’s, which is his nickname, would be a “proper grilled cheese” truck selling toasted sandwiches on Cornish sourdough bread, using Cornish cheeses and also serving local coffee from Olfactory in Penryn, Cornish branded tea and cold drinks.

He likened his food to a “posh toastie” and said he was spending over £50,000 of his own money to have the van converted by a reputable company in Wales.

Mr Dann told councillors: “With new restaurants struggling, rent being so high and many restaurants having to sell due to the increased prices of electricity and bills, many people who love the industry are now having to think outside the box.

“I fully understand the objections from the town council and the local residents. While the truck will be in the CIZ and the intention was to tackle anti-social behaviour related to concentrated areas of licensed premises, I will not be offering alcohol and my application is to serve food until 10pm in the summer months.

“The truck will be located well away from the nearest licensed premises and is not in an area of late night activity. The town council and some local residents are worried about noise, smell, litter and access to the road and pavement. My truck will be virtually silent, running on battery power and gas. The batteries will be charged overnight in a unit away from the location.”

He added that he wouldn’t be using fryers and any smell from the coffee and cheese, “which for most people isn’t an unpleasant smell”, would be filtered through a ventilation system. Waste would be recycled at his unit and he would undertake a daily litter pick in the immediate area. Mr Dann said he would ensure there was no queuing on the pavement and he wouldn’t be running a click and collect service, so traffic issues would be avoided.

“The anti-social behaviour experienced last summer was at the Queen Mary Gardens end of the road, near Co-op selling alcohol and food, well away from me,” he added.

In his application, Mr Dann said he was aware his proposed site was opposite Bay Court and he would like to offer the residents there a 10% discount. He told councillors: “The offer wasn’t meant as an insult. It was just to show that I do care about people and that I want the locals to come and visit me and my food truck. I did the same at my previous café and local people really appreciated this kind gesture.”

Cornwall Council solicitor Mark Andrews pointed out that Mr Dann’s business doesn’t come under the CIZ remit as the truck would close before 11pm and nothing he was proposing comes under the Licensing Act.

After deliberating, the committee granted consent for Bisty’s to trade on Cliff Road. Members believed there would not be any concerns to local residents of noise, smell or litter or that the location would lead to anti-social behaviour in the area, noting the police hadn’t objected. They wished Mr Dann well with his business.