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City centre street trading consent

If you want to trade on the street in the city centre you may need consent from us.

Where you can trade

A number of suitable trading sites in the city centre have been assigned:

  • top of Fargate
  • bottom of Fargate
  • Howard Street
  • Devonshire Green
  • Barkers Pool
  • Tudor Square

You should contact us to find out if any of these sites have been taken by other traders.

We operate platinum, gold, silver or bronze trading zones in the city centre.

Map of city centre street trading zones

What you can trade

There is no constraint on the type of goods sold, however, we would like to encourage more traditional goods.

What unit you can use

Motorised vehicles or stalls are not permitted as part of the city centre scheme and we encourage barrows or handcarts to be used.

All barrows or handcarts must be capable of being moved on and off site by hand and any vehicles used to bring them to the site must be parked, loaded and unloaded off site.

You should not purchase any trading unit prior to an application being approved.

Applicants must be at least 17 years old.

You need to make sure that any assistants you have working on your pitch are wearing badges issued by us. If they do not have badges they will not be allowed to trade.

Apply for street trading consent badges

Costs

The fees for all of the approved sites that are part of the city centre scheme are currently set at £498.50 per quarter (or £1,994 per annum) to trade 7 days a week between 7am and 7pm.

You will need to pay a £100 fee before applying. This covers the costs of processing your application (if your consent is granted this will be deducted from the £1,994).

Your stall needs to meet our requirements

You need to follow our street stall trading criteria in order for us to grant you consent.

City centre trading criteria

This scheme is part of our campaign to make Sheffield city centre a more attractive and vibrant place. You will need to follow this criteria for us to grant your consent.

Small trading stalls general design

Your stall needs to meet these criteria:

  • no motorised vehicles or stalls etc are permitted as part of this scheme
  • all barrows or handcarts must be capable of being moved on and off site by hand and any vehicles used to bring the barrows or handcarts to the site must be parked, loaded and unloaded off site
  • good display is an important part of the selling process and top quality presentation encourages purchase and benefits the retailer's reputation
  • it is in the best interest of traders to produce a high quality design for their barrows or handcarts. The function of the stall is to identify the trader and add vitality and colour to the immediate area, and reflect the quality, cleanliness and order in their operation. The barrow or stall contributes to the appearance of the street for good or bad, so design matters to everyone who uses the street
  • sign writing and scrollwork must be finished to a standard acceptable to us
  • the unit must be visually acceptable to us (this will include the Head of Licensing, City Centre Manager and Planning Service) and be in keeping with the street or area that it is to be located
  • advertisements on stalls will not be permitted except by permission from us in writing and subject to further conditions. We will be the sole judge of what is an acceptable advertisement
  • we reserve the right not to renew any consent where we consider the product(s) offered by the operator are not in keeping with the requirements of the site and the promotion of the city centre
  • non functional elements attached to barrows or handcarts, are not acceptable
  • the general design of the barrow or handcart must meet our requirements for that location.
  • flame retardant ‘skirts’ are to be used if necessary, so as to obscure the frame, gas bottle etc. They should be designed to ‘unify’ the barrow or handcart
  • all equipment, tools, gas bottles etc must be self contained within the stall, barrow or handcart
  • bright colours and a sense of fun are encouraged
  • finished in flame retardant paint
  • a colour photograph or scale illustration of the proposed handcart must be submitted to as part of the application process
  • no barrow or handcart should have a frontage greater than 3 metres or a width greater than 2 metres
  • rooves should be no more than 2.5 metres above ground level
  • pitched and curved rooves are encouraged
  • canopies should be high quality with a feeling of ‘permanence’. These could be manufactured from either stretched canvas, woven material, opaque or light metal materials. Clear plastic awning and extensions to the canopy will not be acceptable
  • canopies must be maintained and cleaned to a high standard

Criteria for food stalls

Food traders must ensure that any stall design satisfies the requirement of food safely legislation. Staff must be adequately trained in good hygiene (Basic Food Hygiene Certificate and regular on going training) and records of training must be made available on request. Food traders must have a minimum food hygiene rating score of 3.

This covers:­

  • hand washing
  • personal hygiene
  • ill health
  • prevention of contamination
  • temperature control
  • temperature monitoring
  • cleaning      
  • storage and stock rotation
  • procedures in the event of freezer breakdown
  • site cleanliness
  • waste disposal
  • pest control
  • quality control
  • first aid facilities

What you need to provide with your application

You will need to send us:

  • a completed application form and privacy statement
  • fee of £100
  • 3 photographs of the unit to be used showing front, back and side
  • details of the proposed site, including an ordnance survey based map of at least 1:1250 scale (a google map will not be sufficient) clearly identifying the proposed trading position and its proximity to other similar retail outlets (shops, café’s, etc) within an 800 metre radius
  • two (recent and identical) passport size photographs signed and dated on the reverse
  • current passport
  • current drivers licence
  • one other proof of identity, showing your name and current address (recent utility bill, bank statement etc)
  • right to work documentation (if applicable)
  • details of any food hygiene qualifications (unless trading in non-food items)
  • if trading in food, confirmation that the business has a food hygiene rating of 3 or more
  • any further information you may wish to submit in support of your application

The following documents must be forwarded to us before we grant a consent:

  • a certificate of public liability insurance (the level of cover shall be a minimum of £2,000,000)
  • written confirmation that the vehicle meets our food safety standards
  • waste management contract
  • declare that you have registered as a food business (if applicable) and pay the remaining quarterly fee if agreed to pay in quarterly instalments

What happens once you have made an application

Once we receive your application, we will consult with relevant parties for 28 days. We may place public notices around your proposed site for the public to make any comments.

All applications for street trading in the city centre will be referred to our licensing committee for their consideration. You and any objectors will be notified of the meeting and will be invited to attend.

They will evaluate whether your trading unit proposal fits in with the city centre qualitative criteria. If your proposal does not meet this criteria, it is unlikely a site will be offered.

You must provide as much information as possible about your proposal, including photographs of the proposed barrow or cart, designs, lettering, colours, uniforms etc as part of your initial application and presentation to the committee.

If you are granted a consent you will be asked to sign and return the consent conditions confirming you have understood and will comply with them along with any other documentation and the remaining fee. You will then be issued with a consent and a certificate along with a copy of the conditions.

It is in the public interest that we process your application before it can be granted. If you have not heard from us within 28 days you should contact us.

Short term consents

If you want a static street trading consent for a short period of time you can apply for a short term consent for either a day, week, or month. You can apply for this using the standard application form and indicating that you are applying for short term consent.

When you apply, you must ensure that you submit all appropriate documentation and pay the relevant fee. You should include your payment reference number on your application form.

Pay for a short term consent application

Street trading - short term day application (£75)
Street trading - short term week application (£95)
Street trading - short term month application (£135)

Before you apply you should pay the application fee online and include your payment reference number with your application.

Pay your application fee £100

You can then download and complete the application form and privacy statement and send it and any relevant documents to:



Licensing Service

Block C, Staniforth Road Depot

Staniforth Road

Sheffield

S9 3HD

Apply online

You can apply online but we would recommend applying by post instead. If you apply online you may be asked to provide further information or documentation before we can start processing your application which may delay it.

Apply for a city centre street trading consent online

You can replace your consent certificate if it has been lost. This costs £22 and you should pay online then write to us asking for a replacement certificate and include your payment reference number.

Pay for a replacement certificate £22

How to make an appeal or a complaint

There is no appeal procedure against the refusal or revocation of any consent. You can apply for judicial review of our decision.

Members of the public who are experiencing problems with traders should contact us for advice.

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Contact the Licensing Team

Ask us a question
0114 273 4264
Monday to Friday, 10am to 4pm
Block C
Staniforth Road Depot
Sheffield
S9 3HD

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Supporting information

Schedule 4 - Local Government (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 1982