Street stalls must meet new designs
Street traders in Bath will have until March next year to make sure the look and design of their stalls are up to scratch. Bath and North East Somerset Council has been drawing up plans for a “radical rethink” of street trading across the district which could include a more uniform design for pitches. It is being done in a bid to rid the city of “cluttered, grime ridden” stalls. The draft street trading policy was discussed at the council’s licensing committee on Wednesday last week. But it was met with differing opinions from councillors - some of whom were concerned the changes to the street trading policy didn’t go far enough. There were also concerns there seemed to be a “gulf in opinion” between the council and two key stakeholders - Bath Business Improvement District and Southgate Bath shopping centre. The council has said markets can add vibrancy and help businesses grow – but some see stallholders as “untidy, unregulated” and with an unfair advantage over bricks and mortar retailers and restaurants. Speaking at the meeting Guy Henderson, centre manager of Southgate Bath, encouraged the council to “tear up the book and start again”. He added: “To continue with the current format would jeopardize an already struggling high street and I beg this committee that a broader more considered view is taken.” Mr Henderson showed the committee pictures of some of the stalls in the city. He said the stalls made “little or no contribution to the local area and just take rent and revenue from local businesses”. “They do not enhance the area, they do not look presentable and do not add to the city. “Instead what we have is cluttered, grime ridden streets”. Bath BID chief executive Allison Herbert said she hoped the changes to the policy were just the start of the conversation and she hoped to see more “imaginative ideas and options” come forward. She also said that grease from some food stalls in the city had resulted in the BID paying thousands of pounds to carry out street cleaning in the city. Ms Herbert and Mr Henderson also supported proposals to cut street trading to once or twice a week as part of an organised market. But the council has said it would currently not be willing to support this. A report to the licensing committee said the majority were against this idea with “strong opposition from traders for whom trading on a less frequent basis would have a serious impact on income and livelihood”. The main changes to the policy address concerns about some individuals selling off their permits and an inconsistent approach to enforcement. Street traders will also have until March 2019 to upgrade the whole, or parts of their units, in order to comply with standards of design and appearance for pitches. Licensing committee chairman Les Kew said he was pleased to hear a working group would be set up in order to continue dealing with some of the issues around street trading. “Street trading is good for this city, but I also understand the retail situation,” added Cllr Kew. “I think tackling the enforcement problem is probably the answer to tackling most of our issues. “If there are cluttered, grime ridden stalls around then we need to do something because we don’t want those in our city.” The draft policy will now go to cabinet for final approval.