Residents of a quiet Canberra suburb are furious about an Indian grocery store being run out of the garage of a residential home that stays open late into the night.
The Kerala Spices store in the new-build suburb of Wright on the city’s western outskirts has been operating from the single-car garage since 2023, and sells fresh, refrigerated and frozen food on shelves crammed into the small space.
But locals say the constant flow of customers to the store and their inconsiderate parking habits are causing chaos in the neighbourhood, and fear trucks delivering goods pose a safety risk to families and children on the footpath, The Canberra Times reported.
Photos show cars parked haphazardly near the garage and night, and a heavy vehicle taking up most of the street while it unloads.
GP Dr Prasad Abeyrathne, who lives on the same street as the store, has written to ACT Chief Minister Andrew Barr and received a reply from government minister Marisa Paterson promising to look into the issue.
Several other residents have penned letters of complaint, but feel they are being ignored by authorities.
“This business is now destroying the everyday life of its neighbours; it runs from 6:30am to 11:00pm. Throughout the day, there is a continuous flow of traffic to the shop,’ Dr Abeyrathne said.
“Interestingly, the owner and the customers of this shop park their vehicles wherever they like.”
But Lincy Mathew, who runs the store with her partner, said the accusations were “false and baseless” and that the business was operating within the law.
“We are a legal home-based business, operating for two-and-a-half years now. We have an ABN and have approval from the local council,” she said.
And while she admitted that trucks park on the street while unloading goods for her store, she said it was rare and took place late in the evening.
An ACT government spokesperson told The Canberra Times that any business, including those that are home-based, that handles or sells food must apply for registration.
Home-based businesses operating from residential homes must meet conditions including not generating more than five vehicle arrivals per day, and complying with the Environment Protection Act, the spokesperson said.
The outrage comes just weeks after a father and son avoided jail for selling illegally imported opium and tobacco out of their Indian grocery and takeaway store in Adelaide.
Header image: The Indian grocery story operating at night (supplied).
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