Bath and North East Somerset Council are set to introduce new regulations for street traders in Bath, expected to come into force by January 2017.
The Kingsmead Square fruit stall is extremely popular © Google
The new regulations will determine the size, structure and appearance of pitches across the city’s streets.
Councillors have voted through the new regulations, with traders being required to use similar stalls to one another with a ‘pastel coloured canopy’ in a bid to fit in more with Bath’s World Heritage status.
Under the new proposals, which were voted through last week, buskers who also sell CDs will need street trading consent.
Ed Collacott, who’s been selling photographs on a stall in the centre of Bath for 25 years told the BBC that street sellers were “one of the delights of Bath”.
He continued: “There are some amazing street traders here selling very different things and each one of us is an individual.
“To have everything under the same canopy might not look great and it certainly wouldn’t be good for my photos.”
Councillor David Dixon (Lib-Dem, Oldfield), deputy leader of the council, and Cabinet Member for Neighbourhoods, said: “Our street trading scene in Bath is one of the most varied you’ll find in any city.
“We’re not making a huge overhaul of the street trading policy whatsoever. It’s time for our renewal [and] we did an excellent consultation.
“We had a trial over the past year for the new style canopies, which actually went down very well.”
Cllr Dixon has said that the Council will assist stall holders with the changes, but it will be enforcing the rules when they come into force.
