New terms and conditions and fees and charges
Hackney has a long history of unique and exciting markets, some of which have been around for hundreds of years. Each market has its own characteristics and certain commodities are more suited to specific markets.
If you’re interested in finding out about which market would suit you best, we recommend visiting each of the markets or street trading sites and talking to the Market Officers on duty.
Markets and street trading sites we operate
Who needs a market trading licence?
You’ll need a street trading licence if you want to sell goods or commodities and food and drink from the road, footpath or any other part of the public highway.
In some circumstances, you’ll need a street trading licence if you’re trading on private land and your pitch is within 7 metres of the public highway (and not within an enclosed premises which the public can access without payment).
View the markets and street trading handbook.
We have a list of the commodities you can sell or serve.
They’re divided into categories. If you have a market trading licence, you can sell up to 3 commodities from one category.
It’s not an exhaustive list and we’ll consider all requests for commodities. Certain kinds of commodities perform better at certain markets, so please take this into consideration before applying.
For example, Kingsland Market is primarily known as a second-hand / bric-a-brac market.
Apply for / renew a temporary market trading licence
There are 2 main types of street trading licence that you can apply for in Hackney: temporary and permanent.
Temporary licences last for 6 months and pitch fees can only be paid for by debit/credit card over the phone or in person at your market or trading site.
Permanent licences, which last 12 months, are paid for by direct debit and licence holders benefit from reduced pitch fees.
Before you can apply for a permanent licence, you need to have consistently traded with no disciplinary action within that period.
We award a permanent licence based on your trading patterns, commodity and the availability of pitches. and the permanent licence will need to be renewed before the end of each financial year.
Please note those permanent licences will not be renewed if the licence holder is in arrears. Persistent arrears can result in revocation of your licence.
- proof of identity (passport or driving licence)
- proof of home address (utility bill or bank statement within the last 3 months)
- proof of national insurance number (copy of your national insurance document, tax statement, benefits agency document, pay slip, P45 or P60)
- a copy of your public liability insurance certificate (with a minimum of £5 million) -public liability insurance cover should specifically cover trading activities on the public highway
- one full face photograph of the applicant taken within the last 12 months
- a non-refundable application fee to cover administration costs. Please refer to the
fees and charges list for the current fee/charge.
Food traders only
- a copy of gas certificate if cooking with LPG gas
- a valid food hygiene certificate (level 2 or above) in the name of the licensee (if trading in cooked food) – please note that if registering assistants a copy must be submitted for each assistant
Limited or public companies
- a copy of the business certificate of incorporation
- a copy of your public liability insurance (with a minimum of £5 million) – public liability insurance cover should specifically cover trading activities on the public highway
- one full face photograph of the applicant taken within the last 12 months
- a non-refundable application fee to cover administration costs – please refer to the fees and charges list for the current fee/charge
- proof of home address if it’s changed since your last application (utility bill or bank statement within the last 3 months)
- a copy of your public liability insurance certificate (with a minimum of £5 million) – public liability insurance cover should specifically cover trading activities on the public highway
- one full face photograph of the applicant taken within the last 12 months – please print the name of the applicant on the reverse of the photograph
- a non-refundable application fee to cover administration costs – please refer to the fees and charges list for the current fee/charge
Register your interest
To apply for a place on one of Hackney’s markets or miscellaneous trading sites, you must first express your interest via the Interest Form.
Upon receipt of your interest form, the Markets Service will review your submission and evaluate whether or not you would be a good fit for the market/s or street trading site/s you have selected. If there is availability in your chosen market, we will ask you to follow the application process, which will include an interview before the application is approved. If we feel that you are not a good fit for the market/s, we will deny your request and state a reason why. If the market you are looking to trade in does not have availability, you will be added to the waiting list.
Hackney Markets interest form
What happens next?
We will be in touch within 5 working days. We will review your submission and you will receive one of the following responses:
- if you are a good fit for your chosen market site/s and space is available, we will provide you with a link so that you may apply for a licence
- if you are a good fit for your chosen market site/s and space is not available, we will add you to the waiting list for your chosen market and offer another suitable location to start trading from until there is space available
- advise you that your commodity is not suitable for any of our market locations or ask you to provide more information or take further action before we make any decision
- if you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact us at markets.service@hackney.gov.uk
If you are an existing trader with a Temporary Licence and wish to renew your temporary licence, you can do this by logging into your online account. If you are having any issues, please send an email to markets.service@hackney.gov.uk.
Registering a manager, assistant or vehicle
If you’re a market trader, you can employ a registered assistant to cover a short period of time each day and for up to 2 weeks holiday a year. Both temporary and permanent traders can have up to 4 assistants, and one of them can be registered as a manager. Managers and assistants are registered for the lifetime of your licence so will not need to be renewed.
There’s an administration fee of £20 per assistant/manager.
Please return by post or email.
Please note: the licensee is expected to be in visible control of the stall for most of the working day (51% of the time). Where a licensee is not at their stall for this time without a reason that we consider reasonable, we can revoke a licence for non-attendance.
If the details of assistants change, you must update your details by completing the assistant and manager registration form, so our records can be updated.
Registering vehicles at Hoxton Street Market, Ridley Road Market, and the Narrow Way
For Ridley Road Market, Hoxton Street Market and the Narrow Way, there is a vehicle exemption list which allows traders to enter the market during permitted unloading times without receiving a parking penalty charge notice (PCN).
Each trader may have up to two vehicles registered at any one time but only one vehicle is permitted for use on any given trading day.
First-time applicants must add their Vehicle Registration Mark(s) VRM to the licence application form where prompted to ensure that their vehicles are added to the list.
You can do this by completing:
Please return by post or email.
Failure to provide us with your VRM in the correct way will mean that you aren’t added to the exemption list and will be susceptible to the issue of a penalty charge notice (PCN) when entering the market to unload.
We won’t be liable for any PCN issued under such circumstances. Traders are responsible for their own parking arrangements and are eligible to apply for business parking permits.
After you apply
We review and process applications within 10 working days. If you’re unsuccessful, we’ll explain why or what you need to do to help us process your application.
When making a temporary licence application you may be asked to attend an interview. We’ll contact you to arrange a suitable date and time.
We review renewals (to ensure all documents have been supplied) within 7 working days.
Make a change to an existing licence
If you wish to vary any details on your street trading licence please complete and return:
Address: Markets & Street Trading Office, Unit 2ii, Kingsland Shopping Centre, Kingsland High Street, Dalston, London, E8 2LX.
By email: markets.service@hackney.gov.uk
Your request will be considered at the next officer licensing panel (OLP) which takes place on the 8th of every month.
You’re allowed to submit one request per quarter.
The officer licensing panel (OLP) is the process by which you can apply for a permanent licence, vary the details of your temporary or permanent licence, and where we determine whether a licence should be revoked.
We’ll advertise the date of the OLP and will issue a reminder two weeks before application submissions close.
If you’re applying for a variation or a permanent licence, you must make a request in writing and supply the relevant forms and fees prior to the OLP.
Once submissions for the OLP have closed, we’ll collate the information and send it to the chair and panel members.
The OLP is made up of the head of markets and street trading, service area manager, markets and street trading operations manager, and the shop fronts team leader.
Before the OLP, the members will submit their recommendations about whether to accept or reject an application.
Other teams such as highways, trading standards and environmental health, and agencies such as TfL, will also be asked to supply comments where relevant.
The licensing and development manager will then prepare a report for the OLP with their recommendations.
If the panel members don’t support the application, we’ll write to inform you.
You’ll be able to make representations to the panel and will be given a minimum of 21 days’ notice of the panel date.
If the panel members recommend that a licence be revoked, we’ll write to you stating the reasons and asking if you want to make representations to the panel in person and giving them a minimum 21 days’ notice of the panel date.
You can request a review of the panel’s decision and an independent head of service will review the evidence and put forward a decision, which will be final.
Page updated on: 5 April 2022