There were reports of illegal street trading in front of 44 Glen Road
A request to designate a street trading pitch on the Glen Road in West Belfast has been refused, after local objections and reports of illegal trading in the area.
At the most recent meeting of the Belfast City Council Licensing Committee, elected representatives rejected the application, after 14 consultation responses from locals, all of which opposed the plan.
Last September the committee gave approval to initiate the statutory public notice consultation process for the designation of a site outside 44e Glen Road, for the sale of hot and cold food and non-alcoholic drinks. In such consultations, comments from the public must be sought through a public notice placed in two newspapers, with a statutory 28 day period for representations to be made to the council.
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All 14 representations to the council were objections. Issues raised were the potential for increased road traffic risks entering onto Glen Road, increased traffic, noise and litter, as well as “aesthetic” considerations. Objectors said it would obstruct the pavement, reduce available parking for existing business, and could lead to damage being caused to residential parked vehicles by congested vehicle movements.
At the Licensing Committee meeting a council officer recommended elected members not to designate the spot for street trading. Alliance Councillor Tara Brooks said that allegations had been made in representations to the council that illegal street trading had already been occurring at the site.
The council officer said no enforcement action was taken but officials had spoken to a trader on the site who removed their stall. That trader then went through with the process of requesting the council to designate the pitch there.
A council licensing report stated: “The PSNI did not object but requested that the application is further considered by Belfast City Council to ensure there are no public safety issues if the layby is restricted as many shops and business in the immediate area will be operating as usual. DfI (Roads) have no objection to the proposal but commented that any vehicle/stall must not be positioned in such a way as to compromise road safety or traffic progression.”
It added: “The designation process is about the principle of a street trading pitch being at the location. Matters regarding the suitability of a particular person, the stall and the ability to manage the site are considered as part of the subsequent street trading licensing process.
“The person requesting a site to be designated, is merely a ‘trigger’ for the process and they may not be the person who is ultimately granted the street trading licence to operate at the site. On occasions the committee has considered multiple competing licence applications for a single designated street trading site.”
When elected members pass a designation resolution, a public notice to that effect must be published for two consecutive weeks in two or more newspapers circulating in the district, the first of which must be published at least 28 days before the date when the resolution is to take effect.
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