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Watford Borough Council
Licence - street trading
Street Trading is defined as the selling or offering for sale of any article in the street. This includes food such as burgers, kebabs, doughnuts etc. or other things such as household items.
All streets in the area are designated as consent streets. This means that any person who wishes to sell items from a trailer or stall in a street (or within ten metres from the highway) must first obtain a street trading consent from the Council.
Food traders must also be registered with their local Environmental Health office.
You do not need a street trading consent if you are:
- Trading as a pedlar under licence issued by a police authority
- A market trader operating at a licensed market venue
- A news vendor selling only newspapers and periodicals
- If you are trading on private land you may not need a consent. To confirm the situation you are advised to contact us, using the details above. The landowner may need planning permission and you are advised to contact the Council's Planning office.
The A41, A411, and parts of the A412, are designated as prohibited streets where no trading may take place. The Council does not allow street trading in the town centre either.
Once you have decided when and where you wish to trade, contact us and we will be happy to send you an application form. We will also be able to inform you whether or not the location you have chosen may or may not be suitable.
Complete the application form and return it with:
- two passport photographs
- food registration certificate (if applicable)
- public liability insurance certificate.
You will also need to provide evidence that you have Public Liability Insurance to the value of £5 million and that your business is registered with your local council if you wish to sell food.
Applications will not be considered without this evidence. All details on the application are checked.
Your application details are circulated in our Licensing applications bulletin, which goes to:
- the Council's legal practice
- local councillors
- the police
- the highways authority for major roads.
Local residents and businesses who may be affected by your application may also be consulted before any street trading consent may be granted.
Consent may not be granted when adverse comments are received from the consulted parties. Consent will not be granted where there is a risk to road safety or possibility of a nuisance being created.
The Council may revoke a street trading consent after it has been granted. This may be for a variety of reasons such as: non compliance with conditions, non payment or because other agencies such as highways department require access to the trading location. You will be given at least 10 days notice if your consent is revoked.
If your application is refused or revoked you may discuss the application with the appropriate Council officers. Other than Judicial Review there is no statutory right of appeal against the Council's decision.
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