Bigger and better Mt Pleasant food truck alley planned

A food truck alley initiative at the Mt Pleasant Community Centre car park has proven so popular, plans are being made to expand and refine it next season.

The end of a successful first round was marked with a final food truck alley on Queen’s Birthday and a performance by the Pleasant Mountain Boys.

The food trucks will return for a new season on September 25.

A collection of up to a dozen food stalls were set up every Sunday afternoon in the centre car park since March 20, tempting visitors with the likes of chicken, stacked burgers, waffles, Thai food, crepes, vegan burgers and real fruit ice cream.

Community centre market manager Derek McCullough said the food alley had been run as a trial and as a Sunday dinner option for people passing by.

"There used to be a pizza bus here years ago and with the Sunday market only running from 9.30am until 12.30pm we saw an opportunity to provide food in the late afternoon."

McCullough said the food venture had been very successful and had run from 4pm-8pm (more recently until 7pm because of the shorter days).

There are plans to expand on the site next season, increase the range of what was on offer and put on regular musical entertainment, he said.

Because it had been mostly takeaways, there had been a lot of used containers and plans are now afoot to recycle and mulch them, he said.

The noise from food generators was also set to be addressed and an electricity hook up for traders was being investigated.

McCullough said the location lent itself to family picnicking because it was right next to the reserve and playground.

He said site fees paid by traders went back to the community centre, which was unique in that it was independently owned by the community and had to pay its own way.

-By Mick Jensen