Almost 1,000 people sign petition to keep Syrian refugee's fast food grill open at Derbyshire train station
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Essie Grill owner Ismail Rammo rents the space in front of the train station, and when he decided to replace his old trailer with a larger container, he said he followed the proper steps.
He informed the train station management of my plans and even consulted with the local council, who assured him that, since the property is private, he could proceed.
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Hide AdHowever, now he has been told that some complaints have arisen about the size of the new container, and Ismail has been asked to remove it.


He said: “The situation has left me confused and uncertain, especially since I’ve worked so hard over the past year and a half to build this business.
“Moving such a large container is not an easy task, nor is finding a new location.”
40-year-old Ismail left war torn Syria and then lived in a refugee camp in Lebabnon where he lived in a tent for seven years before being relocated by the United Nations to the UK.
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Hide AdHe said: “I was flown to Turkey then onto Birmingham and from there Derbyshire County Council welcomed me and found me a home and I’m so grateful for the life I have here away from fighting and conflict.”


Ismail said he and his wife helped and volunteered at local churches and found work and became part of the community.
Their oldest child attends Buxton Community School and their middle child is at Fairfield School.
Ismail said: “I worked at the Royal Oak for about eight months but my dad was a chef and he had taught me how to cook and I decided to go for it and open my own fast food truck.”
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Hide AdHe has been based near the railway station for 18 months and serves Syrian and English food.


But people do not want Essie Grill to close and almost 1,000 people have signed a petition which is due to be submitted to High Peak Borough Council.
He said: “Thank you to everyone who has signed the petition and thank you to people who have offered me jobs to keep me in work.
“It is nice to know people support me. I just don’t understand how I was told there wasn’t a problem but now there is.”
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Hide AdGodfrey Claff, the authority's executive councillor for planning at High Peak Borough Council, said, "The council has received a number of complaints about a food outlet at Buxton station.
"We are currently investigating whether there has been a breach of planning regulations and the matter has been taken up with Network Rail as the site owner."
A spokesperson for Northern Trains, which manages the station, said: "We have asked the trader to move the unit from Buxton station until the planning matter can be resolved.
"We are prepared to work with the trader and the council to find a solution."
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