Mazzotta fights to keep doughnut stall (From Swindon Advertiser)
Get involved! Send photos, video, news & views. Text SWINDON NEWS to 80360 or email us
Mazzotta fights to keep doughnut stall
11:00am Monday 19th January 2009 in News
Biagio Mazzotta
A STREET trader is willing to face prison rather than give up the spot he has held for 12 years.
Biagio Mazzotta runs the doughnut van in Havelock Square but has been told by Swindon Council that he must give up his pitch by February 1.
But Mr Mazzotta has said he has no intention of moving on, and wants the council to work with him.
He said: “I’m not going anywhere – I’m just going to carry on unless they offer me another site. I’m not particularly confident they are going to change their minds but I’m not just going to roll over and take it.
“The only place I’ll be going is from here to prison.”
Mr Mazzotta said he has the support of all his customers and has already collected 2,500 signatures on a petition against the action.
He is also taking the council’s decision to appeal, which will be heard on January 27 He said: “I will have been in Havelock Square for 12 years this October. All I am asking for is for the council to be fair with me. I put in requests for four pitches but they have all been refused.
“There was talk of moving us to kiosks in Wharf Green but that never came about, even though we were made to produce business plans.
“I can understand them saying it’s for the development but that’s not going to happen for another three years.
“Other traders have been given another site and that’s what makes me angry. If it was the same for everyone it would be easier to take.
“I pay rent and business rates just like all the other shops and should be treated with the same respect as them.”
Coun Bob Wright (Lab, central) has been supporting Mr Mazzotta in his fight against the council.
He said: “Mr Mazzotta has had five years of uncertainty over this, which I believe is the wrong decision by the council.
“Havelock Square is a sizeable area and Mr Mazzotta is providing a product in a form which is not available anywhere else. He is quite happy to move to another area but is finding it very difficult to get planning consent and consent for trading.
“The council has used issues of safety, litter, even anti-terrorism as reasons why street traders should be moved on.
“There is a lot of subjective opinion being used by the council instead of straightforward objective reasoning.
“The real hypocrisy is that when they bring in a French market or a farmers’ market all the complaints they seem to have against Mr Mazzotta and the other street traders seem to go out of the window.”
Sgt Chris Palfreyman of Swindon town centre police said: “I would say on a daily basis my PCSOs are called to that area for very low level antisocial behaviour. There is no doubt in my mind if the street traders were not there this would not be an issue. The police are in full support of any actions the council wish to enforce.”
Swindon council was unavailable to comment.
Comments(29)
bullyboyred
says...
2:05pm Mon 19 Jan 09
however at least he got some to get some customers to sign the petition along with his 2,500 family members already on it.
stop being a doughnut and just move, instead of a prison term and a criminal record.
Geoff Reid
says...
2:18pm Mon 19 Jan 09
What is 'Low level antisocial behaviour' in relation to a doughnut stand?
A B
says...
2:45pm Mon 19 Jan 09
But in Swindon's particular case, as RFM said, it's mainly the stench of rancid fat that keeps me away. Ugh. No other town locally suffers from this.
jjc21
says...
2:55pm Mon 19 Jan 09
We are talking about a man's livelihood and the only comments to be heard on the situation are the ones placed here?!
Here we are in the midst of a recession...people losing jobs left right and centre, stores closing down, unemployment figures rising and here the council is forcing people into unemployment??! Surely we should be trying to keep people in their jobs rather than taking them away?!
Casual Observer
says...
3:47pm Mon 19 Jan 09
Geoff Reid - if you want to know what 'Low level antisocial behaviour' is just observe the stall for approximately six minutes on any Saturday (preferably with a peg on your nose). A worse representation of Swindon life simply doesn't exist. Spitting, loud swearing at small urchins, loud swearing at large urchins, cycling, stolen rubbish being passed around between teenagers wearing all-in-one romper suits...
You name it, it's there.
Donkey
says...
4:38pm Mon 19 Jan 09
Casual Observer
says...
5:06pm Mon 19 Jan 09
I do agree it would be right and proper to find him a more suitable location though - preferably with bars on the window.
lilly33
says...
5:13pm Mon 19 Jan 09
Some of the reasons the council have given could be easily rectified by putting a few more bins around and working with mr Mazzotta and guiding him on how he can improve the safety issues they have.
bright eyes
says...
5:31pm Mon 19 Jan 09
Always Grumpy
says...
5:53pm Mon 19 Jan 09
Casual Observer wrote:I don't believe I'm saying this, but I agree with you 100%.
Fantastic news - I do hope prison food doesn't smell as revolting as his stall does.
Geoff Reid - if you want to know what 'Low level antisocial behaviour' is just observe the stall for approximately six minutes on any Saturday (preferably with a peg on your nose). A worse representation of Swindon life simply doesn't exist. Spitting, loud swearing at small urchins, loud swearing at large urchins, cycling, stolen rubbish being passed around between teenagers wearing all-in-one romper suits...
You name it, it's there.
The only thing you missed out on your list was 'fat chavs'.
swindon ...
says...
6:24pm Mon 19 Jan 09
A B
says...
6:28pm Mon 19 Jan 09
You misunderstand, I suspect deliberately. What I meant was that shoppers have a choice about where they spend their money. They have a choice of spending it in Swindon, Oxford, Bath, Cheltenham, Reading. Where would you prefer the money went?
I'd prefer that it went to Swindon, but it's an unpleasant place to shop.
And, yes, I have lost a job in Retail - in the middle of last year. So I know that shops and towns need to compete for the money that is out there. That's life.
jjc21
says...
6:56pm Mon 19 Jan 09
Just as retailers need to compete so do small businesses, just as Mr. Mazzotta is doing yet people seem to think flippantly of his efforts and make jokes? Just because he has a trailer and not a shop he should be persecuted?
My views aren't just for this trailer but the others that are also losing their pitches, they have been there for coming on 12 years yet it is only now their being there has made the centre unattractive etc? Surely it would have been bought to light beforehand and something done about it say 10 years ago?
flicky
says...
7:23pm Mon 19 Jan 09
The real problem is the gathering of certain Swindon youth round the statue of Mr Brunel. Couldn't the soothing classical music be brought back here to discourage groups gathering?
It seems wrong to penalise the trader for being near trouble.
Surely no one is suggesting that he is encouraging anti-social behaviour?
Presumably these doughnuts are eaten by people of all ages, not just the youth of the town?
Does anyone remember the flower seller outside McIllroys, who vowed to risk prison by carrying on trading.
What happened to him?
There is a flower stall near but run by someone else?
A B
says...
7:30pm Mon 19 Jan 09
We will have to wait for the appeal to see whether he is wasting taxpayers' money, or whether he is being treated unfairly. If the latter, then he personally will have my sympathy.
But the point is being made that these types of stall (not just his) do nothing for Swindon town centre's attractiveness as a shopping destination. Yes, action should probably have been taken 10 years ago. Let's hope it's not too late. Swindon needs to crack on with its redevelopment or it will lose out to other towns and cities that have already done so or that have firm plans.
Geoff Reid
says...
9:25pm Mon 19 Jan 09
Casual Observer wrote:I don't like the smell of frying doughnuts, but that isn't enough for me to want to see the blokes livelihood threatened, but ignoring the smell of frying doughnuts for a moment...
Fantastic news - I do hope prison food doesn't smell as revolting as his stall does.
Geoff Reid - if you want to know what 'Low level antisocial behaviour' is just observe the stall for approximately six minutes on any Saturday (preferably with a peg on your nose). A worse representation of Swindon life simply doesn't exist. Spitting, loud swearing at small urchins, loud swearing at large urchins, cycling, stolen rubbish being passed around between teenagers wearing all-in-one romper suits...
You name it, it's there.
...you're confident that removing one street vendor will also remove the aforementioned variously sized urchins, cyclists and romper suited alleged thieves, yes?
If you're right, this coming Saturday I'll expect find Havelock Square spick 'n' span and devoid of all evidence of 'low level antisocial types then?
Time will tell I suppose, if you're right this will be an apt demonstration of the power of context as it applies to the town centre environment.
Always Grumpy
says...
10:18pm Mon 19 Jan 09
What happened to him?"
He died.
Jiver
says...
10:58pm Mon 19 Jan 09
Or are you just trying to get Flicky's attention....as usual?
Casual Observer
says...
11:19pm Mon 19 Jan 09
They are there, I believe, for several reasons;
a) Donuts are the staple diet of most of them. A salad bar just won't cut it for these people.
b) They like to sit under the statue and stuff donuts into their angry faces. The statue also needs to go.
c) Many use the area to socialise with like-minded thugs and miscreants, discussing their latest fight or mugging before trading in some stolen goods in that CEX shop for fag money.
d) They ALL wear stupid looking trainers - what is so wrong about wearing SHOES.
Joking and snobbery aside, this is the first impression many visitors get when they park in the Havelock street area car park and enter the shopping precinct.
It is shameful, utterly deplorable and I absolutely applaud the council for this action.
As for the stallholder, he no more deserves help finding another spot for his nauseating food than I deserve a medal for typing out this crap when I should be making my sandwiches for work tomorrow.
SpeakUp
says...
1:54am Tue 20 Jan 09
Always Grumpy
says...
6:49am Tue 20 Jan 09
Jiver wrote:Yes, he died years ago. Stan Pine was his name and he should have been banged up for his constant refusal to move on, plus the mess he made everywhere.
Did he really ?
Or are you just trying to get Flicky's attention....as usual?
Anything to annoy Felicity Cobb as well - and you!
Big Mac
says...
9:48am Tue 20 Jan 09
And if the police, PCSOs (or whatever they've decided to call themselves this week) actually DID something about the low-lifes in town then the problem wouldn't even need to be discussed.
The guy sells doughnuts for crying out loud - OK, it's not haute cuisine but he's hardly dealing dishing out cider and crack, is he?
taxi man
says...
10:00am Tue 20 Jan 09
chasdon
says...
10:25am Tue 20 Jan 09
Casual Observer
says...
10:33am Tue 20 Jan 09
Big Mac wrote:
I really think there are other, far more deserving, targets of our ire in terms of what drags the dregs of Swindon into the town centre to sit around getting drunk, robbing people and shouting obscenities at the top of their uneducated voices.
And if the police, PCSOs (or whatever they've decided to call themselves this week) actually DID something about the low-lifes in town then the problem wouldn't even need to be discussed.
The guy sells doughnuts for crying out loud - OK, it's not haute cuisine but he's hardly dealing dishing out cider and crack, is he?
Big Mac, casual observation of this area would lead many people to believe his interests lie in more than donuts.
vistrom
says...
11:35am Tue 20 Jan 09
Atomic_Pond
says...
11:46am Tue 20 Jan 09
If so worlds best teacher!!!
flicky
says...
4:56pm Tue 20 Jan 09
Thank you for your reply. Yes, I was Mrs Cobb, the supply teacher, for a number of years. I'm glad you enjoyed the classes!!!
Which school did you go to?
Mrs Cobb
RFM says...
1:00pm Mon 19 Jan 09
Let him stay but get him to use some kind of extractor to contain the stench!!