Ice cream van ban: Greenwich considers banning 'polluting' and 'nuisance' trucks

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A council in London has revealed a plan to potentially ban ice cream vans from being able to sell in certain areas.

Some of the reasons for the ban, which can be seen on council documents, include them being called a "nuisance" and engines having a bad impact on air quality.

The areas where a ban could be in place includes 20 roads in Woolwich town centre and 13 in Greenwich town centre.

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Ice cream van plan

The plan is for an area of south-east London and the plan shows possible bans on 20 roads in Woolwich and 13 in Greenwich.

It would include King William Walk in Greenwich Park, which is a popular tourist destination.

We don't know if the plan will definitely go ahead - a final decision will be made at a cabinet meeting on 14 June, next week.

Why might the plan be introduced?

Roads near Greenwich Park could be included in the ban

In 2019, some councils began to consider banning ice cream vans due to the emissions that they cause.

One of the reasons is emissions causing problems for the town's air quality.

Ice cream vans need to keep their engines running even when they are parked, using the energy to keep their ice cream cool - known as 'idling'.

Another reason stated on these latest documents was the "nuisance" caused by trading, and a planning inspectorate said queues for ice cream vans would "clutter" attractions in the area.

Council officers say ice cream sellers can still trade for up to 15 minutes on the streets where they aren't banned.

Vans would then have to move to another place and not return to the same street on the same day.

Greenwich Borough Council said it welcomes ice cream vans in hundreds of locations, but "itinerant ice cream van trading - defined as trading from a vehicle which goes from place to place - can cause unacceptable levels of nuisance; as well as having negative impact on air quality from 'engine idling' in sensitive locations".

It also says a draft update of the plan includes two new, fixed places for ice cream vans to sell in during the day.