If you want to sell items from a trailer or stall in a street, you need a street trading licence from the Council.
Street trading is defined as the selling, or exposing or the offering of any article for sale in the street (including a living thing).
This also applies to the supplying or the offering to supply any service in the street. ('In the street' means selling on a public highway, or within seven metres of it.)
Food traders must ALSO be registered with the Council’s Environmental Health office.
Unlicensed street trading
We monitor and regulate street traders to ensure that trading is only taking place under licence from the Council. To report any unlicensed street trading, please contact Street Trading.
You don't need a street trading licence if you are:
- a market trader operating at a licensed market venue, or
- a news vendor selling only newspapers and periodicals. (This is subject to certain conditions about the size and position of your newspaper stand. If these conditions are breached, you may be trading unlawfully. For more details about this, please contact Street Trading.)
You MAY not need a licence if you are…
...trading on private land seven metres from a public highway. If this is the case, it is important that you have the permission of the landowner. If you are the landowner, you may need planning permission, so we advise you to contact the Council's Planning Office.
There are designated areas for street trading
We will only issue consent for street trading in the following designated areas: How to apply for a street trading licence
- If you would like to talk about your plans, please contact the street trading team to arrange an informal discussion.
- You need to complete an application form. Please contact the street trading team, and we will send the application pack to you. This pack includes:
- street trading conditions and application form for the trader
- street trading conditions and application form for the assistant
- a copy of the amended London Local Authorities Act 1990's standard licence conditions
- street trading licence fees schedule
- a request list of business and consumer advice leaflets we can supply with a brief questionnaire
- a stamped addressed envelope to return your leaflet request or questionnaire to Greenwich Trading Standards.
- Post the application form to us (see street trading team address)
- With your application, you also need to provide:
- evidence that you have public liability insurance to the value of £5 million
- if you wish to sell food, evidence that your business is registered with the Council’s Environmental Health office.
Applications will not be considered without this evidence. We check all the details on the application.
What happens next?
If we need to designate a street for street trading purposes:
- We circulate your application details to the Council's legal advisers, local Councillors, the Police, trading standards and the highways authority for major roads. (We will not issue a licence where there is a risk to road safety or possibility of a nuisance being created.)
- We may also consult local residents and businesses who could be affected by your application. (We may not grant you a licence if we receive adverse comments from the consulted parties.)
Once we are satisfied that your application is valid, we will issue you with a registration number and card. This street trading consent will be subject to certain conditions, which will be specified on the licence.
Once we have issued the licence...
...we still reserve the right to revoke 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
- if agencies such as highways department require access to the trading location.
We will give you at least ten days' notice if your consent is revoked.
Weekly fees
- Woolwich and Eltham town centres:
- £21.40 (one day)
- £42.80 (two days)
- £107 (one week)
- Duke Humphrey Road:
- £21.40 (one day)
- £42.80 (two days)
- £107 (one week)
- Colomb St, Tyler Street, Earlswood Street:
- £16.30 (one day)
- £32.60 (two days)
- £62 (one week)
- Griffin Manor Way, Nathan Way; Horn Lane:
- £16.30 (one day)
- £32.60 (two days)
- £62 (one week)
Your right of appeal
If your application is refused or revoked, you can discuss the application with the appropriate council officers. However, other than Judicial Review, there is no statutory right of appeal against the Council's decision.
Further information
Please contact the street trading team.