A popular curry house has been forced to close its doors after two decades in business, after the complaints of neighbors about the smell of curry.
Wheatley, cinnamon restaurant in Oxfordshire, was a local favorite for over 20 years when the South Oxfordshire District Council received a complaint about “Curry Odors” in 2021.
Environmental health officials visited the restaurant and upheld the complaint. The Bangladeshi restaurant allegedly spent about 35,000 pounds on a new extractor fan in an attempt to resolve the issue. However, these efforts finally failed, which shut down the restaurant.
However, another complaint was made and an abetment notice was served to the Curry House, which considered cinnamon’s new ventilation system to be defective.
Unable to bear the installation cost of a new system, which the restaurant claimed to be in an area of £ 50,000, was taken to court and forced to pay a fine of £ 25,000 after being convicted in October 2024.
Despite the funds spent, the council issued another elimination notice and in May this year, cinnamon announced that it could not tolerate the demands and will be closed in mid -June, making 10 people unemployed.
The South Oxfordshire District Council said they have no choice, but “If measures are not introduced to solve measures and deflation notices are violated” then they have no choice and cinnamon “admitted that they could have more to reduce the smell”.
The 32 -year -old Restroatter Shirazul Hok said, “The village wants the restaurant to be, otherwise we would be closed before paying a fine of £ 25,000.
“This is really difficult for us and feels absolutely wrong because we love our village … It is sad for our cuisine, which is loved, described as a smelling partial smell.
“All our employees have families and the chef living above the restaurant will be rendered homeless – this is a big punch in the intestine.”
Since 2000, cinnamon restaurant has been functioning in Oxfordshire’s Wheatley.
Shirazul’s uncles took business in 2012, and they are serving Bangladeshi and Indian Food there from there.
many Tripadvisor The review describes the restaurant as an important part of the community.
“We are very lucky for this restaurant in our village,” reads a review.
In 2021, the restaurant won the Tripaidvisor Travelers Choice Award, which is given to businesses that consistently review the travelers and are ranked within the top 10% in their area on the Tripaidvisor.
The same year, a smell was complained to the South Oxfordshire Zilla Parishad against the restaurant.
An official of the Environmental Health Agency retained the complaint.
After two decades of service, Shirazul claimed that cinnamon had never received such a complaint, but as a result the demand was installed around £ 35,000 ventilation system.
“We wanted to solve it because we are here for 20 years, we love our village and we wanted to do something about it,” Shirajul said.
A high specification ventilation model was suggested by a consultant, but the restaurant realized that they could not bear the installation cost, estimated to be around £ 50,000, nor the maintenance cost.
Despite the expensive work done by a reputed company with more than 30 years of experience, Shirazul said, another complaint was recorded with the council.
The environmental protection team was sent to the restaurant and the smell was considered unacceptable, and their ventilaters were defective.
Cinnamon was then asked to improve the ventilation system.
“We were not able to tolerate it,” said Shirajul.
“To be honest, the business did not retaliate post-covid, we were not earning any profit, so we did not have money for it.”
Since no action was taken, the restaurant was issued with an indigestion notice and taken to court.
Cinnamon convicted and accepted a fine of £ 25,000 in October 2024.
The issue of ventilation was still considered unresolved, facing another expense estimated by Shirazul, in the field of £ 50,000.
On Monday 19 May, cinnamon felt that they were unable to continue the fight, telling 10 of their employees that they were without jobs.
“It is very difficult to share this story because I have spent a lot of my time in business,” said Shirazul.
Asked what other restaurants can learn from their situation, Shirajul said: “The council’s environmental health officers operate and learn the appeal process, work hard to see.”
He also says that on Sunday 15 June, the last day of his business, the restaurant must be giving free food to anyone which comes through it.
“This is a gesture of thanks to all support obtained through the difficulties of the last few years,” he said.
“This is a way to say thanks to us to stand up.”
The South Oxfordshire District Council said in a statement: “The council has a legal duty to examine complaints of disturbance about the smell from industrial, trade and business premises that can be a legal disturbance.
“We always aim to advise and support businesses how they can solve issues. However, if measures are not introduced to resolve the issue and violated the uncommon notice, we have no option but to prosecute.
“In the case of cinnamon restaurant in wheatli, the council’s environmental protection team has assessed the complaints of our procedures and smell after law.
“A comprehensive investigation on this site determined that there is a statutory disturbance in relation to the kitchen ventilation system.
“Cinnamon Cuisine Limited, who run restaurants, have failed to follow our recommendations and have violated an environmental elimination notice on several occasions between October 2023 and April 2024.
“Cinnamon convicted four allegations before appearing in a three -day court on Wednesday 2 October 2024.
“In the Oxford Magistrate Court, the District Judge reviewed the evidence and statements provided by the council officials and the company, and keeping in mind the revised guilty petition, the judge ordered that the company pays a total of £ 25,000 – it includes a fine of £ 12,000, which is a prize of £ 12,000, which is a wet with South Oxfordshire Zilla Parishad with a Witness of £ 2,000.
“At the same time blamed for allegations of statutory disturbance against him, cinnamon admitted that they could more to reduce the smell.
“The council can advise and help where we can do, but eventually the responsibility to fix the problem sits with the business.
“Business has been given advice and guidance on steps that they can take but till date have failed to follow our recommendations.
“Cinnamon is still the subject of an ongoing legal matter, and so we will not be in a position to comment on the matter in any way, apart from the information provided in the above statement.”
