Markets and street trading

Lambeth’s markets offer a wide range of goods, from hats, luggage, bedding and clothing to hand-made items, fresh fruit and vegetables and street food inspired by tastes from around the world. 

Our markets

Brixton market has over 80 licensed pitches on Electric Avenue, Popes Road and Brixton Station Road, offering a core traditional market experience, alongside hot food stalls.

Current traders can find updates in our Trader Hub.

Becoming a trader

We have a small number of pitches available at Brixton Market - on Electric Avenue, Pope’s Road and Brixton Station Road. 

We also sometimes have vacancies on our isolated street trading pitches.

Applications are accepted for pitches which are already designated. 

We accept applications for vacant street trading pitches twice a year:

  • From 1 to 30 June (for traders to start from 1 October)
  • From 1 December to 31 December (for traders to start from 1 April)

Applications are not accepted outside of these periods, and we do not operate a waiting list.

Apply for a licence

To apply for a licence you will need to read the guide and complete an application form. 

If your application is successful at the first stage we will require you to provide the relevant documentation.

Please return the application to street-trading@lambeth.gov.uk during the application period.  

Download the Markets and Street Trading guide (PDF, 623KB) 

Download an application form (DOCX, 204KB)

Download a renewal form (DOCX, 194KB)

We don’t have any kiosks to rent and we are not currently designating any new street trading pitches, while we focus on filling our existing pitches.

You can also apply direct to trade at the following markets, which are run on behalf of the council:

Fees and charges

View a list of street trading fees

Permissions needed to trade in Lambeth

Before applying, you must check what type of licence and permission you will need. 

Read our Markets and Street Trading guide before applying. It is your responsibility to make sure that you have the correct permissions and licences in place before you undertake any trading activity in the borough.

It is your responsibility to make sure that you have the relevant permission in place before you undertake any trading activity in the borough.

You need a valid licence or written consent from the council if you’re selling, offering to sell, or displaying for sale anything in a street, park, open space or any other public area, or within 7 metres of the public highway.

Trading without a licence anywhere in the borough – including from a bicycle, food truck, or mobile vehicle, or from parking spaces - is not permitted. 

Illegal street trading may result in a fine, prosecution and the seizing of goods and equipment.

Trading in parks, open spaces and at events

For information about trading in a park (including Clapham Common) please contact parks@lambeth.gov.uk

For Lambeth Country Show please apply directly on their website.

Find out about trading on the South Bank, including near the London Eye on the Southbank Centre website.

Selling food

If you are applying to sell food, you will need to have completed the following steps prior to application. 

Register your food business

Registration of premises used for a food business (including market stalls, delivery vehicles, mobile units and other moveable structures) is required by law.

This applies whether you are a hot food trader, for bar and drink vendors, and to all food produce retailers (for fruit, vegetables, meat, delicatessen products, cakes, breads, jams, chutneys). 

You need to register your food business with the council at least 28 days before you propose to start trading. 

Get a food hygiene rating

Food hygiene, standards and health and safety inspections of food premises are a legal obligation placed on councils (acting as food authorities) and an inspection will be carried out before you start trading as a market trader. 

Compliance is monitored through routine inspections. Failure to meet the expected standards may prevent you from trading in Lambeth in the future.

If you have registered but have not yet received a Food Hygiene Rating Score at the time of your application, please state ‘awaiting inspection’ on your application. If you have a rating already, please provide details of the score and the date of this inspection. 

Further information is available in our food market trader's guide.

Illegal street trading

It is illegal to trade anywhere on the roads or pavements in the borough without a valid street trading licence of prior written consent from us.

If you suspect a trader is illegally trading or causing a highway obstruction, please report this to us. We can investigate the matter and take enforcement action if there is evidence to support this.

Report unlicensed street trading

Complaints

If you have a complaint about your shopping experience, please try to resolve this directly with the relevant trader.

If your issue:

  • relates to a fellow trader
  • has not been resolved after approaching the trader directly
  • has not been resolved by engaging with the market operator directly

please email our markets team at street-trading@lambeth.gov.uk.

You can also find out more about the council’s complaints process.