East Suffolk Council
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 and is covered by the Local Government (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 1982.
All streets in the East Suffolk area are undesignated for street trading purposes, save for some which are designated as either prohibited or consent streets. The effect is to prohibit any street trading at all on prohibited streets, and to allow a person to trade on a consent street when they are part of a community event only. The organiser of the event would usually apply for the consent.
The new Street Trading Policy, listing the consent and prohibited streets, will come into effect on 1 December 2025. A consent will only be issued where street trading is taking place as part of a community event.
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 from the Council. To confirm the situation you are advised to contact our Licensing team.
Differences remain in the requirements for street trading consents between the two former Suffolk Coastal and Waveney districts.
All streets in the former Waveney area are designated as either prohibited, licence or consent streets. This means that any person who wishes to sell items from a trailer or stall in a street must first obtain a street trading consent or licence from the council.
You do not need a street trading consent or licence 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 our Licensing team. The landowner may need planning permission and you are advised to contact the council's Planning team.
Consumer Complaint
We would always advise that in the event of a complaint the first contact is made with the trader by you, preferably in the form a letter (with proof of delivery). If that has not worked and if you are located in the UK, the Citizens Advice Consumer Helpline can give you advice. From outside the UK you should contact the UK European Consumer Centre.