Up to two stalls could trade at Worthing station, and markets could spread along Montague Street, under plans going to councillors on 14 October.
Stalls could trade outside Worthing station for the first time, under plans going to the borough’s Licensing and Control Committee on Wednesday 14 October. Markets and events would also be allowed on the eastern end of Montague Street.
Both places are currently “prohibited” streets, where no street trading of any kind is allowed. The council’s report to the committee proposes making them “consent” streets instead, where a trader can apply for a permit.
The same meeting will be asked to approve Worthing’s first written street trading policy for public consultation. It sets out who can trade where, when and on what terms.
The two streets that would open up
- Railway Approach. The council would issue up to two permits for individual stalls on what the report calls “the wide open pavement areas” there.
- Montague Street, east of Bath Place. Permits would be issued only for organised street markets or public events, and only when the road is closed for them.
The council’s aim, in the report’s words, is “to encourage economic activity and the use of open spaces in a safe manner”. It wants the changes to allow “occasional outdoor markets, speciality markets and public events”.
The newly rebuilt square at the bottom of Montague Street would also be renamed in the rules. “Montague Place” would become “Montague Place including Montague Gardens”, to reflect the £3.1m rebuild that opened in September.
The conditions traders would face
Stalls at the station would only be “likely to be given consent” on conditions including these:
- the stall must “add colour and interest to the local environment”
- no petrol or diesel generators or gas heaters, only solar or battery power, unless the council agrees otherwise
- £5 million of public liability insurance (£10 million for a market organiser on Montague Street)
- any food or drink trader must hold a food hygiene rating of 4 or above
- the trader must clear all litter at the end of each day
A permit would be refused if the stall “would compete directly with shops and businesses in the vicinity to their detriment”, or would cause obstruction, litter or “over-use of the area”.
What the draft policy says
Worthing first brought in street trading controls in 1988, after complaints about the conduct of some traders. The law does not require a written policy, but the draft would put the council’s rules in one place for the first time.
The main points for each area:
| Area | What the draft allows |
|---|---|
| Montague Street, Montague Place and Gardens, South Street Square | Permitted stalls, but no fast food, no vans or trailers, nothing competing with local shops. Trading in Montague Place and Montague Street is not normally allowed on market day, currently Wednesday. |
| Bath Place, Broadwater Street West, Portland Road (south of Shelley Road), South Street | Organised markets and approved public events only. |
| Marine Crescent and Marine Drive, Goring | Ice cream, soft drinks, tea and coffee from vans or trailers. No hot food and no motor trading. Eight permits in four zones, two per zone. |
| Brighton Road, Marine Parade, West Parade and the other prohibited streets | No trading of any kind. |
The Goring zones run from Marine Crescent between Alinora Crescent and Banstead Close, west along Marine Drive to the Ferring boundary. The draft says the controls there came in because of residents’ complaints about “the volume of traders and the conduct of fast-food caterers and motor traders”.
Other rules in the draft:
- trading hours are normally 8am to 7pm, set pitch by pitch
- a trader with a year-round permit must trade on at least four days a week from 1 May to 30 September, weather permitting, so permits are not left unused
- permits last up to 12 months and are only granted to people aged 17 or over
- fees are set to recover the council’s costs
Trading without a permit in a consent street, or at all in a prohibited street, carries a fine of up to £1,000 on conviction.
What happens next
The committee meets at 6.30pm on Wednesday 14 October in the Gordon Room at Worthing Town Hall. Agenda papers are on the council’s meetings site.
If councillors back the street changes, the council will publish a public notice and consult Sussex Police, West Sussex County Council as highway authority, Worthing BID, the fire service and its own environmental protection team. If nobody objects, the change goes ahead. Any objection sends it back to the committee. By law the change cannot take effect until at least a month after the final resolution.
The draft policy would go out to a six-week consultation, with a final version due back “later this year/early next year”, the report says.
What it means for you
- If you run a stall or cart, Railway Approach could become a legal pitch. Only two permits are proposed, so expect competition for them. Watch for the public notice after 14 October.
- If you organise markets or events, the eastern end of Montague Street would become available, with a road closure.
- If you trade on the Goring seafront, the eight-permit limit and the four zones are written into policy for the first time, along with a rule that you must actually trade four days a week in summer.
- If you run a shop near the station, the report says permits will not go to stalls that compete directly with nearby businesses. The consultation is your chance to say so.
Have your say