If you want to sell things on the street or any public land in Oldham, like from a stall or temporary setup, you need permission from the council. This permission comes as either a street trading licence or street trading consent, depending on where you want to trade.
The rules come from a law called the Local Government (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 1982, which lets councils decide which streets fall into three categories:
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Consent Street – You can trade here, but only if you get the council's permission.
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Licence Street – You need a proper licence from the council to trade here.
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Prohibited Street – Trading is not allowed here at all.
In Oldham, only three street trading licences are allowed at any one time, and they are all for set spots on Market Street in the town centre.
If you want to trade anywhere else in Oldham (and it’s not a prohibited street), you’ll need to apply for a Street Trading Consent.
You can check which streets are licensed or prohibited:
You can also apply for a Day Consent, whereby you are issued with a temporary consent to trade. These are limited to no more than four consecutive days at one time, and no more than ten days in total in any one year. Details of our Day Consents and fees can be found at the bottom of this page.
A full copy of our Street Trading Policy can be found below:
- Street Trading Policy (.doc)
Guidance
Please read our Street Trading Guidance form before completing your application form. This document explains the application process and directs you to relevant agencies where supporting documents are required to be obtained i.e. your Basic Disclosure Barring Service (DBS) Certificate.
- Street trading guidance (.doc)
Apply
Our applications and fees are split depending on the nature of your business and the type of vehicle you are using. If the vehicle you are trading from can be driven, such as an ice cream van etc, you will need to complete a “mobile” application form. If the vehicle you are trading from is a trailer or cannot be driven on its own without being towed, you will need to complete a “static” application form.
- Mobile Application forms (.doc)
- Static Application forms (.doc)
Day Consents
You can apply to trade within the Oldham Borough, excluding our licensed or prohibited streets, by completing our Day Consent application form below. The cost associated with this consent and how you can pay can be found within the application form.
Fees
Please refer to our fees page for up to date fees and charges - Licence fees | Licence fees | Oldham Council