Boycott Mill Rd Pizza Hut!!

Please support the independent takeaways on Mill Rd; Carlos et al. What the hell are Cambridge City council doing allowing another two takeaway outlets to open on Mill Rd anyway? Like Mill Rd needs more takeaways! Never mind chains like fuckin Pizza Shit and Chicken Turd. I see there are quite a few empty shop units on Mill Rd and I'd hate to see them bought up by the corporate scum who'd have us all living in Samesville USA (51st State). The way things are going I can imagine town, and therefore the chain stores, encroaching onto Mill Rd and so another piece of individuality being lost to the scum sucking pigs, who peddle shit for their living. IF YOU CARE ANYTHING FOR THE MILL RD AREA AND WISH IT TO RETAIN ITS CHARACTER DO NOT GO TO PIZZA HUT OR THE CHICKEN PLACE NEXT DOOR.

Deleted Post

Oh, for sure the council don't give a toss. That's why, those of us that do, shouldn't give these fuckers our money. With so much choice on Mill Rd I'm just hoping that enough people will have the foresight to bypass the glitziness of the Pizza Hut frontage, their undermining offers and with any luck they might be gone within the year. Get the Anglia students onside, and it'd be a doddle. Pizza Shit, Pizza Shut!

How friggin useless are the council? I'm pretty sure that Mill Road is a conservation area which means it has certain planning restrictions. You are allowed to protest at these planning applications and the council are meant to notify you if you live in a certain radius. It's worth checking with them as we got caught out with a McDonalds application ages ago.
There used to be a Mobile garage on Coldhams Lane near the Beehive which had a licence to sell hot food - just microwave shit but McDonalds applied to change the lience to suit their services. The council considered that it wasn't a change of use as such since there was a lience of sorts in place so didn't notify residents in the area. To cut a long story short the council had to backtrack and take the application through a formal planning process which eventually meant that Cambridge was just one of five locations in the UK at that time where McDonalds didn't get their own way, mostly 'cos the council planning dept are shit.
The website is www.cambridge.gov.uk - there's a link to planning applications but definately email or drop by and ask what the policy is. If the building was a shop that didn't sell food before then ought to apply for change of use which is a formal application. Change of lience is a smaller application and its' these that tend to sneek through without being spotted until the new signage appears.
Yes, I will definately boycott. Hate Pizza Hut. My cousin used to work on Regent Street and I heard too many stories about staff picking their noses and.. well you can guess the rest!

I wonder how many tons of saturated fat are served every day along the whole of Mill Road.
I was very surprised that the Pizza Hut and the Chicken thing were allowed. Seems like mad duplication.
There are plans for a similar facility on Newmarket Road, opposite Carlos? other shop. If you talk to him, he will speak of the conspiracy.
However!
I love the name CHICKEN COTTAGE. Sounds like some thing the Police would bust a lot of embarrassed married men for frequenting.
I can?t support anywhere that sells such appalling food. Be it Carlos, Pizza Hut or What ever!

While I can understand the objections to a chain moving into Mill Road, I cannot see how liberal use of the f word can alleviate this.The serious suggestion to check up on licencing loopholes and how the City planning dept interprets the laws is a much better way to approach the matter, rather than sounding off with a swear word every other word.
To play the chains at their own game is the way to go about objecting.
Might I point out that I cannot remember the last time I ate anywhere along Mill Rd, and therefore cannot truly object to any food outlet opening there

Where is the application on Newmarket Road? I dont' know who the Carlos is you are referring to but would like to check out the application if one is made.
I know that the retail park is able to open a resturant. Despite some objections locally, we were not able to raise the profile against the retail park to prevent it getting to the size that it is now or future growth. How I wish that was all houses.

Carlos of Carlos on Mill Rd and The Chippy On Newmarket Rd.
The new restuarants will be where Kwik Fit/Alamo Car hire is Now.
The Application is posted to the bus stop (no.3) by the Kwik Fit.
Who are 'we' ? do you campaign against things?

I just live off Coldhams Lane and the road I live on is pretty community minded. As a concerned group of house holders who have felt victimised by the council in the past (not just McDonalds but also St Matthews Gardens) we've had cause to object, petition and lobby at the Guildhall a couple of times.
I don't feel especially concerned about Newmarket Road although I 'think' that there is some sort of group in Abbey Ward who might know more. In my personal opinion, Newmarket Road is beyond help, to the point that the County Council, those great installers of traffic lights and general organisers of road chaos are planning to get independent surveyors in to assess the situation. Love to see that report!

Totally agree with the first post on this thread, but I have two questions:
1. Why would anyone with even the slightest interest in eating decent food buy anything from the big corporate chains, never mind the moral issue?
2. Why would anyone imagine that the City Council as a body has any other purpose but to serve the interests of the already rich and powerful?
In a sensible world it shouldn't be necessary to call for a boycott of such places - but then, in a sensible world they wouldn't exist!

Too right, PIzza Hut is utter bollocks, support your local takeaway I reckon, and it would be a shame to have it on Mill Road, a lot of the shops are really interesting and individual, a lot better than anywere in town

hate something....change something

So this new shopping centre being built...its apparently for indepent shops. Anyone know anything about what shops? Anything music/guitar related?? Preferably the latter

Dave

Deleted Post

I can comfirm that Mill Road is in a conservation area and legally the City Council has to consult all within a radius of any planning application, but this generally means that it has to place a notice outside - which I saw on a lampost outside what used to be the chariots which the application was going through a year ago. It would only do door to door consultations for very large proposals. The council wouldn't normally differentiate between a fast food chain and an independent outlet - they are both the same land use, but it would have considered any comments it received when it was considering the application.

I agree that it's sad when another interchangeable chain shop appears, but then these chains wouldn't exist if people didn't use them. I think a lot of it is that pizza hut etc can afford to advertise, far more than small businesses.

But rest assured I won't be using the Mill Road pizza hut and I'll join the boycot, and I'll also let other people know.

Deleted Post

It would depend. The chariots might have been bought by developers who wanted to convert the property (from use class A4) to fast food (A3 / A5), and then the agents would sell the property to Pizza Hut. However it would make more sense for Pizza hut to buy the site and convert it to their specifications in which case the application would mention the name. If they did it the first way then Pizza Hut would then need another application and advertisement consent to erect their sign and shop front. Without seeing the application it's difficult to say. That said I'm pretty sure I saw Pizza Hut mentioned on the notice on the lampost, but it's so long ago now it's hard to say.

Either way, once the application has been granted it's too late to do anything and the only way to get rid of Pizza Hut it ensure that the outlet is no longer profitable and it is sold by the company. This is down to their customers, or lack thereof.

Deleted Post

i guess this isn't the time to mention the new yorker i had delivered from pizza hut for a very reasonable tenner??
I don't really see the problem... sorry!! People will buy their food from whichever takeaway they prefer (Carlos does the best chicken and spicy pots in Cambridge, so i go there)... Is it really that bad that a delivery pizza place has opened up??? The chicken one i could understand more furore over,k but it looks shit and i won't buy from there.
We live in a free market and mill road has a large student and young person population who are the most likely groups to want this type of food. That means that big chains are always gonna look to try and get in on the trade, but even the biggest chains start off small at some point... if Carlos opened another 20 shops would you start moaning about his chains??
There are many worse things in this world to concentrate your efforts on than a couple of tiny takeaways opening.... just don't go to them if you don't like them!

oh yeah and The pizzas i have had from takeaways down mill road have been fuckin awful in the past

Agreed on the boycott out of both food snobbery and on principle, but one question: why wasn't a stink made about the opening of Subway last year in order to have potentially stopped Pizza Hut and others from invading? Subway is an international franchise chain too, albeit they don't share the same amount of limelight as McDonalds, Burger King, Pizza Hut, etc.

we can never realisticaly beat the multi-nationals..BUT, if we are ethically led in our comsumption and make considered choices based on our personal values, then as individuals we can know that know we are not actively contributing to the stranglehold of the multi-national.
and PERFECT PIZZA make a great pizza.yum yum

I think that the diveristy of people who live and shop in Mill Road will have an affect. Me, and lots of other people I know, that live in the area use places like the chinese supermarket and Arjuna because Mill Road is known for its range of goods. There's also a lot of consumer loyalty - the fact that this thread was started shows that. What I mean, is that if you wanted to get some 'safe' non threatening food then you'd head into town for a pizza, not necessarily Mill Road so wondered if Pizza Hut are even in the right location.

Perfect Pizza are owned by http://www.papajohns.co.uk/ they are as multinational, american, and corporate as they come.
Apart from the Indians, the Cafes and the Arabic places, they are all pants. In other words FAST FOOD is pants.

Deleted Post

It seems mistaken to me to conflate the issue of multinationals and independent traders with food quality. There are plenty of independent traders who serve crap food (something which is in the eye of the beholder anyway) and sometimes the corporate equivalent will taste better and be made from better ingredients.

In other words FAST FOOD is pants.

Fast food in this country is usually pants, but it doesn't have to be. Don't make me come on like Jamie Oliver though.

Deleted Post

Story in the Cambridge Evening News about this:
http://www.cambridge-news.co.uk/news/city/2005/12/30/19fa5f8f-78a2-47c...

What interested me was:
"the opening of a multi-national on their "multi-cultural" street will push local traders out of business."

This is actually the very essence of multi-culturalism - it dilutes the heritage and culture of an area in the name of "diversity" and has been happening for years. I don't think you can celebrate multi-culturalism without excepting that everyone has a right to it - even the Americans (and nothing is more a part of their culture than fast food and massive corporations) - and realising that a dominant culture will ultimately swamp all the others.

Deleted Post

d-wayne-love> trattoria pasta fresca on mill road. they did a great calzone

They don't do a calzone, but Cafe Adriatic does do nice pizzas.

Deleted Post

Let me re-phrase that for you. Cafe Adriatic don't do a calzone, but they do nice pizzas. I
know they are on the same site so I was saying it in the spirit of "they didn't keep the calzones but
they did keep the pizzas".

As for Mexicans, I agree. Zak's at the top of Castle Hill thought they were a Mexican, but served
canned supermarket chili beans as refried beans!

BUT! A few weeks ago, on Hills Road just outside the BBC building and near the war memorial, a trailer
owned by some Mexican guys appeared, selling burritos and quesadillas. And they were excellent --
about as authentic as you could hope for in the circumstances.

Unfortunately it disappeared after about a week -- seems like pressure was applied by other local
businesses to remove them immediately, as there was a report on it on Look East the night it opened,
with other local takeaway owners complaining that it was affecting their business.

I heard a rumour it has moved to Milton somewhere. Anyone know?

Deleted Post

the police in cambs are complete cunts.... 100%. Aside from raping women in cells, sending paedos to look after soham families and being probably as corrupt as west midlands were, i have seen them try to fit someone up for dealing pot while "undercover" and ignoring a very fucking serious crime happening in front of them... pure wankers.

Deleted Post

Deleted Post

All you need is love :)

Deleted Post

Deleted Post

Over in cam.misc someone's posted a link to all the planning applications related to the Ox / Chariots / Pizza Barf: http://tinyurl.com/b8zge

You'll see that there's no change of use. You'll also see that quite a lot of applications were refused.

Also in cam.misc you'll find at least two councillors who will usually answer (voluntarily and for no personal gain apart from perhaps garnering a few extra votes) questions that people have about how the council works, and how they come to their decisions - and what decisions they are actually allowed to make.

Deleted Post

Deleted Post

Deleted Post

The police in this country as a whole aren?t very good, but then nor are the people in terms of behaviour. Seocity/People can make a difference by encouraging everyone to behave better.

The French police are absolutely useless but you don't end up with this 'Friday night regal' situation there, or not nearly as much. Don?t get so pissed, and if you do behave. Go home, don't be sick in the streets, don?t shout in public places, don?t swear in public places act like you were at your mums for Sunday dinner and you will find that life treats you like you mum does when your at Sunday dinner, KINDLY!

There is no romance in this world anymore. Corporations suck but there the future unless there is a revolution against them. If you don?t like them in mill road do something about it, protest...until it's illegal?

Deleted Post

Deleted Post

Homemade pizza isn't bad either...

OMG, sweetcorn is like the best ever thing on pizza. You guys are mad! Just mad!

Deleted Post

who lives on mill rd? i do

Deleted Post

Deleted Post

Deleted Post

Deleted Post

Deleted Post

Deleted Post