Sheffield Council plans more street food markets for city centre

If members of Sheffield City Council’s waste and street scene policy committee agree at their meeting today (Wednesday, February 15), responsibility for street food vendors will pass from the licensing department to the markets service.

That would give the council an opportunity to work collaboratively with new and existing street food providers on updated street food markets and “help businesses take the first step on the ladder towards setting up in and opening a new premises within the city”, said a report to the committee.

The report said the council aims to work in partnership with businesses such as Peddler Market in Kelham Island, Kommune on Angel Street and Steelyard, who were involved in the Fargate Container Park, “who have all shown that by bringing together the top brands from around the UK nationally and regionally is a recipe for success and an on-street offer that there is a huge hunger for”.

The report said: “The street food movement over recent years has become a well-established global phenomenon and in the UK is an exciting development in the culinary offer of towns and cities, with gifted food entrepreneurs choosing to bring their menus to the streets rather than through the more traditional route of a restaurant kitchen.

“Many cities including Leeds, York, Manchester and Birmingham have bought into the ethos of quality street food and this is one of our aspirations to ensure Sheffield remains as one of the UK’s foremost cities.

‘Vibrant scene’

“The current street trading system is outdated; it does not reflect the new vibrant street food scene and the street trading legislation restricts the council’s options to move forward.

“The challenge for us, therefore, is to find a way to sustainably operate a high-quality street food regime in the central retail core, which can add to the vitality and viability of the street scene, draw visitors between the sites and crucially, increase their dwell time and spend time in the city.”

It says this will help close the gap between the city’s daytime and night-time economies, attracting families into the city for the early evening and linked to theatre, music and other cultural activities.

The holders of five current licences have been consulted and would be transferred to the markets service.

If agreed, the plan will need to win the approval of the full council meeting in March before notice of the new proposals is advertised for two weeks and can then take effect.

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