Street Trading

UPDATE 27/02/2026

Our consultation closed on 27 February 2026 and will be discussed at the Licensing Committee meeting on 13 March 2026.  Thank you if you took part in our consultation.  

A summary of our consultation can be found by clicking here to view our report. 

 

ABOUT STREET TRADING

All local authorities have a legal discretion to regulate street trading in their area. Street trading is governed by the Local Government (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 1982 Schedule 4 (as amended).

A Street Trading Policy should give protections to the trader, the Council, and all other users of our public spaces. This policy is designed to fully explain the extent to which traders can operate on Council-owned land.

In essence, a street trading policy is a blanket designation so that the Council can exert some control and management of people selling articles from our publicly-accessible spaces. There are also other mechanisms by which the Council provides an element of control, for example, any person selling food for public consumption must also be registered with the environmental health team for that area.

The Council adopted the provisions of the Local Government Miscellaneous Provisions Act 1982 and so it has become necessary for the Council to provide consent for street trading in the way it is described in the Act, with 12-month Consents. In the proposed Street Trading Policy, we set out consent streets for street trading and within the consent streets the Policy sets out approved 'Commercial Trading Sites' where individuals are able to trade with the consent of the Council. The Policy also sets out 'prohibited streets' where street trading will not be authorised by the Council. 

Street Traders broaden the choice of food outlets to both residents and visitors.  We work to mitigate the impact of noise and aromas as a result of trading in our public spaces and can do this by working with the traders under the terms and conditions of the policy. 

It must always be remembered that the public, including nearby dwellings, have built-in protections within existing legislation. They will continue to have rights to enjoy their property, or a nearby public space, free from excess noise or smells (statutory nuisances). These protections remain in place under the Environmental Protection Act 1990 and enforcement will be managed by the Environmental Health Officer for the Council, as part of their delegated authority.

 

 

email us: LICENSING@SCILLY.GOV.UK

Senior Licensing Officer: Andrew Thomas

Licensing Assistant: Kath Gilbert

Council of the Isles of Scilly
Old Wesleyan Chapel
Garrison Lane
St Mary's
Isles of Scilly
TR21 0JD